Local family awaiting state’s decision on budget

The state budget situation has created a lot of uncertainty, especially for a local family waiting to hear what lawmakers in Raleigh are going to do. Max Weavil is completely disabled, and if programs like Medicaid get cut, the Weavil family may be forced to pay thousands of dollars per month out of pocket for Max’s medication and supplies.

Many love Max Weavil III.  He’s been disabled since he was one year old.  At age 24, Max can’t walk, talk or feed himself.
 
"I love him, I adore my brother,” Bambi Weavil said.  She is one of Max’s many angels. Bambi Weavil is his older sister, and along with working full time, she helps her mom and dad take care of Max 24 hours a day.
 
"If he’s sick, we know silently that he’s sick. He can’t tell us that he’s sick. We have to have visual cues,” Bambi said.

Max’s medication alone costs $3,000 a month. It’s that medication that can save his life. 

"If something goes wrong, he could die," Bambi said. "The medication is that critical. It keeps him from having seizures."

If state lawmakers decide to cut their budget by reducing Medicaid and caregiver funding, the Weavil family may be forced to pay out of pocket for Max’s therapy, medication and all sorts of equipment like his wheelchair.
 
“The stress financially on us to make it affordable would be outrageous,” Bambi said.

It’s the caregiver funding allocation that is so crucial to the Weavils. The state anticipates having to cut more than $2 billion from Education and Health and Human Services alone. Lawmakers are set to discuss what exactly to cut on July 16. Until then, the Weavils are waiting patiently for another angel to help save Max.

The program that allows the Weavil’s to stay home and take care of Max is called the Community Alternatives Program for Persons with Developmental Disabilities.  It aims to help disabled people find treatment rather than be institutionalized. For more information, visit the family’s website at http://www.calltoactionnc.com.