Autism One Gives Us a Hope Boost

My husband and I just returned from the Autism One conference in Chicago. Josiah hung out with Grandma and Pa for five days, and we had our first time away alone together since Jo Jo was born. It was such a good break and we were able to connect again as a couple. Our “vacation” was an intense autism conference, but around it, we had a filet minon dinner, ate some Chicago-style pizza, and went to the awesome Broadway musical in Chicago, “Wicked.” It was a really energizing trip and we felt encouraged and affirmed that we are on the right track with Josiah. We also felt like we weren’t in this alone–probably 1000 other parents were at the conference too.

Certainly, we also had waves of feeling overwhelmed and a little confounded about all of the choices and treatments. It’s such a long haul, and you’re constantly having to fight against the fact that the medical community is behind the curve on this whole autism thing, but at least there are brilliant researchers and some courageous doctors that are plowing ahead in the biomedical realm to help our kids today (not 10 or 20 years from now).

We couldn’t stop thinking about our precious little boy while we were gone, but we heard he was a little angel and had a chance to bond with the ‘rents. He’s doing so much better day by day. And, he got a new swingset (built with lots of love) this week too–and he digs it! It was a bummer that as we were on our way back from this great trip that we found out about a tornado that hit our community of Hugo, MN. The massive devastation was literally 8 blocks from our house. Fortunately, we just had some hail damage to our siding and roof. Still, our hearts are saddened for our community.

Here are some of my highlights from the conference:

1. We had a chance to meet other parents at the TACA mixer on the first night. We met a mom whose daughter is seven and is recovered from autism. Chelation for helping to remove heavy metals like mercury was what was the important piece for her. We’re now doing that with Josiah and are certain that we’re seeing significant improvement directly related to starting that.

2. Jenny McCarthy was the keynote speaker. She tells it like it is. She’s bold, she’s brassy, she’s passionate and compassionate, and she is just what the autism community needs to speak out about autism awareness and change. She and Jim Carrey are leading a DC Rally for autism in Washington in June, and I hope it gets the attention of the press and government. I highly recommend her book, and she’s working on another one that features stories of moms of kids with autism that she has met at dozens of conferences.

3. The movie, Beautiful Son, was shown at the conference. Some PBS stations have also shown it, or you can purchase it. It was a very moving and hopeful documentary about how one couple from Hawaii has nearly recovered their little son through biomedical treatments and educational therapies. The little boy reminded us a lot of our son. Overall, the videos that we were able to see of kids who are recovering and showing extreme improvement were just what we needed to keep us going, hoping and praying for the best for Josiah.

4. I found out more about mercury toxicity that kind of blows my mind. Mom’s, if you have silver fillings, you got to get them out because of constant mercury vapor exposure which can also be passed on through cord blood. It’s not good for you either, and can contribute to cancers and Alzheimer’s. Mercury is still in some vaccines and prescriptions, and in the water and the air, and it can just cause all sorts of problems to a weakened immune system. It’s bad stuff, and it wrecks our kids’ ability to detoxify themselves. Check this out by Dr. Boyd Haley, who did a brilliant presentation on mercury toxicity.

5. Dr. Kenneth Bock and Dr. James Neubrander were great. There is so much more being learned about the underlying public health crisis we’re facing as a society that is just presenting in a more severe way through autism. Allergies, eczema, asthma, ADHD, Alzheimer’s, lupus, fibromyalsia, MS, and more have very similar issues at their core, and the cases are rising. These doctors are having great success with treating the disorders and getting our kids healthy again.

Autism is curable and reversible. We aim to prove that with our son! Thanks, Autism One for giving us a shot in the arm (no pun intended) to keep us going.