A Deltona family on the brink of financial ruin has received a life-changing gift from a major corporation.

Gradient Gives Back Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Gradient Financial, will pay Debbie and Scott Gout’s mortgage for a year, and provide them with a lifetime of financial counseling. 

“I was shocked,” said Debbie Gout, who knew the odds were against her when she applied for the award.  Gradient only chooses two families in the entire country for the annual gift.  The company received 500 applicants.

To understand why the Gouts were chosen, you simply have to look around their home at the pictures of two smiling boys hanging on the walls.  The oldest, Chris, died five years ago at the age of four.  He had been born with a rare, severe case of mitochondrial disease.

“When it finally happens, and your son passes away, it sort of slaps you in the face,” Debbie said.  “Even though you prepare, you’re never prepared.”

By the time Chris was diagnosed , Debbie was already pregnant with Matt.  Matt was born with the same disease.  He is 8-years-old now and requires 24-hour medical care. 

Most mitochondrial diseases are the result of DNA mutations.  The mutations are often inherited from the mother, but both parents can carry the defective gene.  The chance of two siblings getting the disease depends on a fairly complex inheritance factor.  The disease was completely new territory for the Gout’s.

“You just live minute by minute, day by day,” Debbie said.

If the emotional trauma were not enough, then came the medical bills. Each child had nine specialists, required multiple therapies, medications and medical equipment.  In just a few years the family exhausted the lifetime insurance benefit from Scott’s employer.  Their medical costs surpassed $1 million and continue to grow.

“It adds up quickly when you’re dealing with a child who is terminal,” Debbie said.

State Medicaid was not enough.  To care for two dying children, Debbie had to quit her job and cash in her 401k.  Not only did the household lose one income, the house went under water when the market crashed.  Losing the home would have been catastrophic.

“Being that he (Matt) is getting state-funded assistance, if I cannot provide a home for him, the state will,” she explained.

The fear of having their sick child taken from them left the Gouts desperate for help.

“That is what made me reach out on the Internet and Google anything and everything there was to do with financial assistance or financial help,” Debbie said.

Her search led her to the Gradient Gives Back Foundation which screens families in need for its annual gift.  The Gouts applied.  It was only a few months later when they learned they had won.

“It’s life-changing,” said Scott Gout.

Gradient Financial’s local affiliate, Burgos and Brein Wealth Management, has stepped in as financial advisers, providing their services for free, and securing other donations from local businesses and agencies.

“You see a lot of people who frivolously spend money, who make mistakes, who do things they should not be doing.  The Gouts are not in that position,” said Joshua Brein.  “The only reason they spent everything they had is because they had to.”

The Gouts never thought strangers would understand their plight.

“It just becomes very humbling to know there are people out there who are willing to help for the right reasons,” Debbie said.

Brien assured the family that his company will be a safety net for a long time coming.

“We hope it brings a message of hope to people.  You never know what’s going to happen, what tomorrow is going to bring,” he said.

Gradient Gives Back will open the application process for the 2012 gift in the next couple of months.  You can find more information at http://www.gradientgivesback.com/.