His son suffers from a rare neurological genetic disorder and now the teen depends on his father for all of his basic needs, including his food. When he was forced to pay out of pocket for the special formula. The medical supplier didn’t reimburse him. That’s when he called Help Me Howard with B randon Beyer. Fourteen year old Ali Cevik hasn’t always needed a wheelchair. For the first eight years of his life he was a healthy active boy. But then his family started noticing changes. Muslum Cevik: “He started regressing in school at first. We’d have meeting with teachers, ‘Hey, he’s not doing so good here, he’s not doing so good there.'” He then started having difficulty in other areas. Muslum Cevik: “Little by little, physically, he couldn’t ride a bike, he couldn’t, you know, talk fast enough.” He was diagnosed with Niemann-Pick disease. A genetic disease that affects roughly one in 1 million people in the United States. Muslum Cevik: “It’s basically Alzheimer’s for kids. You start losing your full body control.” Ali can no longer eat on his own, he now lives on a combination of special formulas. Muslum Cevik: “That’s his lifeline. If he doesn’t get that, he just dies.” His feeding schedule has to be precise. Muslum Cevik: “We put them in his feeding bag and there’s a pump. We hook up the pump to it, and we feed him every six hours.” It’s not cheap. His meals are thousands of dollars a month. Thankfully insurance covers it. But recently Ali’s food was running out and the medical supplier hadn’t received payment from the insurance provider so his dad paid for the formulas. Muslum Cevik: “If the insurance doesn’t pay for it, I’m ready to pay for it, and I gave him my deposit for $2,550.” The supplier promised to refund the money once the insurance company paid, but they only reimbursed half. Muslum Cevik: “It’s extremely, extremely frustrating.” Howard, he came up with the cash so his son wouldn’t lose his life saving special formula. But now the medical supplier won’t reimburse him. Can the medical supplier take his money, and the insurance company’s money? Howard Finkelstein: No, nobody can get paid more than once for their service. In fact, it’s become such an issue, that there’s a new law in Florida that requires that refund, in a timely manner. We called the medical supplier. They never called us back. But Ali’s dad says they did contact him. Muslum Cevik: “As soon as I called you guys within the next couple of days, I got my money back.” Great news for the family, who says Ali’s life is hard enough, they shouldn’t have to worry about him running out of food. Muslum Cevik: “He’s in an industry where people are desperate, not just a little bit their lives depend on it.” Thankfully Ali has one thing going for him. A father who won’t quit. Brandon Beyer: “You’re glad you called Help Me Howard?” Muslum Cevik: “I’m extremely happy I called Help Me Howard.” What a beautiful family, such a dedicated father. Medical suppliers have to refund you within 30 days or they face fines and other disciplinary actions. You got a problem? Need a hand? Here’s how to reach us. It’s Help Me Howard, I’m Brandon Beyer, 7News. CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:Email: [email protected]: Brandon Beyer at [email protected]: 305-953-WSVNBroward: 954-761-WSVN ...read more read less