Photo: The Moody Momma
Alexa Beichler is hoping there is a silver lining tothe nationwide formula shortage.
As the Leesburg, Virginia, native continues to speak out on behalf of her boys and their immediate need for medical-grade formula, the mom of three remains hopeful that the crisis will shinea light on the plight of familieswith metabolic conditions.
“Right now, everyone thinks infant formula is a big deal because ‘normal’ infants aren’t getting their formula, but there are people out there that face these food insecurities daily,” Beichler tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Over the past month, stress andanxiety is all I’ve felt.”
Beichler and her husband Ian, a public school teacher, are parents to sons Jax, 6 months, and Taylor, 20 months. At birth, both boys were diagnosed withclassic phenylketonuria(PKU), a condition in which their body is unable to process an amino acid found in protein. (Their oldest son, Carson, does not have PKU.)
The lifelong condition requires the boys to be on medical formula as part of a specialized diet that limits them to 2 grams of protein a day. But the current shortage, which left Beichler feeling helpless after she was told Taylor’s formula was on backorder, only adds to the already mounting financial stress the family faces each month.
The Moody Momma
“Taylor’s formula is $5,361 and Jax’s is $1,179 a month. Combined, that’s $6,540 a month,” she says. “I don’t know who can pay almost $7,000 a month for this.”
Without the medical-grade formula, the protein in the boys' blood will quickly back up, acting as a neurotoxin in their brain, says Beichler.
“In a matter of days, they can go from being just fine to having permanent life-long brain damage. Their quality of life will go to zero as they lose their fine and gross motor skills. If it affects their brain, that will be forever and that,that, is terrifying.”
PHOTO: The Moody MommaPHOTO: The Moody MommaPHOTO: The Moody Momma
In addition to the medical-grade formula, which the boys will be onfor the rest of their lives, Beichler is able to offer them 20 “free foods,” among them apples, grapes and oranges, as well as packaged medical food to account for the other single gram of allotted daily protein.
“With Taylor being 20 months old, a lot of it goes to waste and it breaks my heart,” Beichler says, referencing her toddler’s eating habits. “A lot of test runs. It slowly breaks my heart each time I throw out $20 worth of medical food.”
Despite the bill’s continued rejection since it was first introduced in 2009, Beichler vows to not give up on what she calls life-saving legislature for families nationwide.
“Through every storm comes a rainbow and through this formula crisis, this could be our saving grace,” she says of bringing national attention to the bill. “We need everyone to know that there’s people out there that face this every day. This is their everyday life. This ismy boys' everyday life.”
source: people.com
