How We Began
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Julia Lindenmuth was born on November 1, 2004. Two months later in January of 2005 Julia’s parents were told that their daughter had a predicted shortened life span due to her diagnosis of Aicardi Syndrome. Aicardi Syndrome ended up being only the first on a lengthy list of medical diagnoses. Julia’s mother, Erin Lindenmuth, quickly realized that in order to meet Julia’s growing list of needs, she would need a crash course in how to navigate the world of insurance companies, nursing agencies, and getting through hospitalizations to name a few. Unfortunately for their family such a course did not exist.
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Erin decided to take the initiative to research and compile the necessary resources and information to enable her to effectively advocate for Julia’s needs. The results she achieved during this experience with her daughter inspired Erin to create Medical Care Guides to help other families facing similarly difficult situations. This would prove to be the first step in what would eventually become Golden Rays of Hope, LLC. One of the most requested and crucial roles Golden Rays of Hope now plays in the lives of its families is to be an informed and persistent advocate for the client. This manifests itself not only in medical and educational settings but also in helping families acquire the medical equipment they need and to get it covered by their insurance company.
When Julia needed things that were not covered by insurance Erin reached out to every foundations and resource available. She soon discovered that navigating the complex world of insurance companies and foundations only left her with more questions than she initially had. These common questions included:
When Erin did find the answers to these questions a familiar pattern began to emerge. At first, she would feel the excitement of finally finding a foundation that could provide exactly what Julia needed but all too often it was followed by the feeling of utter frustration when discovering that Julia did not meet one or more of the application requirements. Most companies and foundations cater to specific regions, ages, and even certain diagnoses. This situation highlighted the need for a foundation free of those complications that would provide equipment not covered by insurance to individuals regardless of age, medical diagnosis, or where they reside in the United States. After gaining valuable experience in doing this groundwork for her own daughter, Erin established the Silver Linings Foundation in November of 2015 to fill that critically important care gap.
When Julia needed things that were not covered by insurance Erin reached out to every foundations and resource available. She soon discovered that navigating the complex world of insurance companies and foundations only left her with more questions than she initially had. These common questions included:
- Will the insurance company approve the request?
- If not, should the denial be appealed?
- Is it an item the insurance company will never cover regardless of the circumstances?
- When is it best to take the foundation route vs appealing the insurance company’s decision?
When Erin did find the answers to these questions a familiar pattern began to emerge. At first, she would feel the excitement of finally finding a foundation that could provide exactly what Julia needed but all too often it was followed by the feeling of utter frustration when discovering that Julia did not meet one or more of the application requirements. Most companies and foundations cater to specific regions, ages, and even certain diagnoses. This situation highlighted the need for a foundation free of those complications that would provide equipment not covered by insurance to individuals regardless of age, medical diagnosis, or where they reside in the United States. After gaining valuable experience in doing this groundwork for her own daughter, Erin established the Silver Linings Foundation in November of 2015 to fill that critically important care gap.
