When you are scanning ingredients to feed your ASD family safe and nutritious GFCFSF allergen-free, low oxalate, Failsafe, SCD, or GAPS meals, when you are injecting your child with his nightly MB12, and when you are traveling to and paying out of pocket for yet another "specialist" to consider more out of the ordinary treatment options to recover your sweet child, you don't give it a second thought. This is second nature now, this is what our children need, so we do it for them. We are going to recover our kids, period!
Unfortunately, not every ASD family is making these changes for their family.
I don't even think we consider, for one minute, the sheer magnitude of our actions. Think of throwing a rock in a lake, that ripple effect is much like recovering our ASD children. I hear many families talk about the massive changes autism has encouraged their family to take on, changes regardless of how hard, they are incredibly grateful for, ironically. Changes that may have even saved another family member's life! I know that I am even more grateful than words can express, for the knowledge we have gained as a family, but it doesn't stop there. The learning carries on when we influence other families in our large network. We hold on tight to our ASD community families and we would do anything to help other families heal their children. Of course, we want to see all of these children recover, that is certainly where my heart is, but each individual family makes up the bigger picture.
But what if we DON'T carry this movement forward enough to grab a hold of the reigns on this frightening epidemic, what then? Have you thought of that? It won't be JUST the ASD families who are effected by the ever-growing rate of autism.
No one says it better than a fellow ASD mom, Florence Iwegbue, who is on a quest to change this movement.
"I
come from a 3rd world country--Nigeria with MANY economical and social
issues and like the NJ Senator mentioned during the hearing, a Nigerian
Govt. official approached him about the rapid rise of Autism. Why?
because, it is now a Global National Security issue; Possibly the worst
epidemic in modern day medicine. At these rates, this country will not
have men to go to war, marry, reproduce or support the economy of this
nation. For all of us that are made to feel guilty when we use the word
recovery, these are the problems we're worried about. For those who
criticize, they have no idea the magnitude of the problem. When an
official (probably even corrupt) from a 3rd world country like mine,
with: waring tribes, abject poverty, astronomical rates of crime,
perpetual recession and zero economic growth becomes worried about an
Epidemic like Autism and flags down a U.S official to question him, be
VERY FREAKING WORRIED and ya better be living and breathing RECOVERY
& CURE.
I
come from a very proud and hard working tribe and my people are on the
edges of their seats because they send their children to the West to
make something of themselves and help out their fellow villagers back
home by way of sending money to help educate the younger generation.
When we stop sending money, because it is being spent on Whole Foods, ABA
Programs, Supplements and Health care bills, more families back home
get hungry, sick and kids are left on the streets without education.
This is the consequence of my son's Autism. It is no longer just a
disease that he has, it is a disease that many family members have
inherited. So whenever anyone chastises you for seeking recovery for your child,
send them my way so I can explain to them why it is a Global epidemic
that needs to end NOW!"
Florence is a warrior mother. She is fighting for the world and when she looks into her sweet boy's eyes, she knows that all of world is depending on his recovery. His recovery matters to the world as much as it matter to her family. The ripple effect.
Florence's family is so driven to help the world, in fact, that her husband has also developed an iPhone application to help parents help each other. What's more impressive is that they are providing this app for free. What could be more beneficial to the big picture?
In their LiveWello social health app for iPhone (and iPad coming soon!), families are able to create a little village around the person they are caring for. You can invite and label people with important roles, share medical records, videos, pictures, etc. It's the ASD medical recovery ripple-effect in the making.
Watch the ABC interview here.
Let's embrace the fact that our children are going to change the world one way or another, do you want to be a part of that? I sure do!!
Being mom to a child with several food sensitivities identifies me with a new world, one of caution and education. I never knew reading labels and ingredients could become second nature, who knew that artificial colors and additives could create time bombs, that wheat and dairy could turn a child into a tantrum whirlwind...learn about our journey into the new world of food sensitivities and what they mean. THIS WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING!