Kelly, Mother of Two, 29 years old

For me, on July 29, 2004, every new parent’s worst nightmare came true. Shortly after delivering a beautiful, healthy baby, the nurse discovered my baby, beside me in her bed, not breathing and blue. Ashley was raced immediately to the NICU, where testing began, and not a sole suspected this reaction to the Vitamin K shot she had been given. Apnea and cyanosis are, in fact, listed as possible side effects on the package insert. Instead, my perfect baby became subject to 25,000 dollars worth of medical testing. She was put on IV, given drugs, and more vaccinations without my consent. It was during Ashley’s second week of life that I overheard one of her nurses laugh and say, “She probably got Hepatitis B (in the NICU) a couple of times!”

Despite knowledge that Ashley had already been given possibly 2 rounds of the Hepatitis B vaccine, the nurse at our pediatric group recommended that she have more. At her 4-month “well visit”, I questioned the doctor and nurse who pressured me with a seemingly logical response, “they wouldn’t give vaccines to children if it wasn’t safe!” However, they were wrong, and a couple hours later Ashley experienced a seizure and nearly died. She stopped developing at that point.

For the following 8 months, Ashley spent the majority of the day watching her fingers as she twisted them in front of her face. She was unable to sleep, and had persistent GI pain and discomfort. Upon hospital discharge, we were told Ashley had acid reflux and she was prescribed 3 medications. Not only did these drugs prove ineffective for Ashley, but also the side effects were horrible. Unable to pass gas or poop, I had to insert a thermometer into Ashley’s bottom 3 times a day to relieve her. She screamed constantly because of the pain, a condition pediatricians call “colic.” I once heard someone say, “Colic is a 5 letter word for ‘I don’t know.’” As a parent, however, I knew she was in pain, and I had to find out why.

The first visit Ashley and I had with Cheryl was nothing short of shocking. Cheryl scooped Ashley up into her arms, rocking her back and forth, as Ashley cried in pain. She told Ashley, “Don’t worry. We’ll make it better.” I was astounded. No doctor from world famous hospitals (such as the hospitals Ashley had attended) had ever claimed to make Ashley “better.” I could not wait to finally help my baby.

In preparation for our meeting, I had written a list for Cheryl, which represented my diet on a typical day. Countless MD’s had reassured me that what I ate was not affecting Ashley. On an intuitive level, I knew they were wrong, and Cheryl confirmed my suspicions. Many people have heard of cutting out dairy and caffeine, but there was so much more to learn and understand. The majority of my previous diet consisted of baked goods, processed foods, and refined sugars. Cereal, bagels, muffins, chips, bread, pasta, cookies and cakes, were all wrong for my breast milk, and hard for Ashley to digest.

Additionally, I eliminated tomatoes, onions and garlic, which had adorned my wheat in the past. The easiest food for Ashley and I to digest was real food. I ate eggs with steamed asparagus, quinoa with grilled or baked chicken, roasted carrots and celery with herbs, sweet potatoes with Ghee, home made chicken broth, simmered overnight to release the nutrients, and desserts made from soaked nuts and coconut milk, ground into pudding. My new favorite treat was baked peeled apples with raw almond butter drizzled over top. Within 24 hours of radically changing my diet, Ashley’s symptoms disappeared. In a week’s time, I had weaned Ashley off all 3 of her medications. She stopped crying, began sleeping, and pooping on her own. She was a new baby, but it was not over yet.

Ashley’s vaccine injuries had created long-term health problems commonly associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The antibiotics and drugs she was given as a newborn led to systemic yeast overgrowth, or Candida. Toxins, like mercury from vaccines, had affected her brain, and stripped her GI tract, rendering both her brain and her intestines raw and inflamed. Essential fatty acids and probiotics have played a huge role in correcting these issues. Lack of vitamins and minerals contributed to behavioral issues such as self-stimulating, repetitive behavior, and self-injury. Sensitivity to gluten, casein, and foods high in phenols, heightened these problems.

Today Ashley is still improving. She takes vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and probiotics, all custom tailored for her through lab work. She eats (all organic) softly cooked egg yolks, non-gassy steamed veggies, baked squashes, poached chicken breast with Celtic salt and grape seed oil, cherries, strawberries and blueberries. I use only coconut butter in place of typical butter or hydrogenated oil in everything I cook, such as blueberry almond meal muffins. Ashley drinks home made nut milk, coconut milk, and wonderful water mixed with a dash of electrolytes and pear juice. We use only Stevia and Agave to sweeten our food.

I do not know if Ashley could have survived infancy, were it not for Cheryl, and she most certainly would not be where she is today. Correcting her many nutritional issues has been the key to Ashley’s happiness and success. There have been many ups and downs in Ashley’s ongoing recovery process, and I thank God every day for her improved health and well-being.