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In 2012, Joey Hudy was 14 when he became known for showing President Barack Obama how the marshmallow cannon he had designed himself worked. Now at the age of 20, the science whiz has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The boy who delighted Barack Obama with his orange contraption was named as one of the 10 smartest kids in the word. Hudy's love for science and technology showed through his inventions of 3-D body scanners and computers powered by solar energy. He often traveled the world and served an advocate of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs at Maker Faire.

The brilliant young man moved to Hong Kong after graduating from the Arizona State University. In Hong Kong, symptoms of schizophrenia emerged--he kept saying that the Chinese government was following him. Joey Hudy was admitted to a psychiatric hospital as a result, which shocked his family.

Caring for a family member suffering from such condition can drain the finances. Elizabeth Hudy, Joey's sister, decided to ask for financial contributions via a GoFundMe account she set up for his treatment. She appealed through the site saying that her parents were generous, caring and would deserve the love and support they could get.

She disclosed that the cost of treatment in an Ohio mental health care facility was $19,500 for just ten days. Their parents stayed close by living in a hotel near the place.

Because the symptoms got worse, Joey Hudy would have to be transferred to a Tennessee facility that charges over $25,000 a month where he might have to stay for at least three months. The family was trying to raise $50,000 and has so far reached $18,400, the Washington Post reported.

The symptoms of schizophrenia, a mental disorder, appear between the ages 16 and 30. Patients experience hallucinations in which they hear, smell, see or hear things that are not present. They may have delusions of being controlled, followed or being someone else they are not. The condition is also marked by an inability to make coherent responses in a conversation, poor focus and odd jerky or repetitive movements, and even being in an unresponsive stupor, according to WebMD.