Drip...Drip...Drip

Jim and I are at the stem cell treatment center and this is where will be for the next 2 - 3 hours.  Jim has to have an IV drip as part of the heavy metal testing that has to be done prior to his stem cell procedure.  The test results should be back in about 2 weeks.  If any heavy metals are found, he will be put on a treatment plan to flush them out.  Praying that none are found so he can get the stem cell sooner rather than later!

Anyone who knows me, knows I don't do well with blood or needles.  Fortunately, I'm not the one with a needle in my arm, unfortunately, there is a lady across from me that is getting some sort of blood transfusion or who knows what and I'm feeling a tad weak!  "Dear Lord, please help me stay strong, I can handle this!"

We will be back at the treatment center once the test results are all in to have a final consultation.  Thank you again to those have made this all possible through your prayers, and or, donations.  We are grateful for each and every one of you!  Together in HOPE...

Jim relaxing in the easy chair, getting his IV.

We Survived!

We're back safe and sound from our road trip to Gypsum, Colorado.  The 16 hour drive with 3 kids and a puppy went much better than expected!  Jim's mom and sister were kind enough to open their home to us for the week.  We really enjoyed visiting with them, since we don't get to see them as often as we would like.  Jim was able to "remodel" his mom's chicken coop before the snow came, and the kids had a great time playing in the snow once it arrived. Thankfully, the snow only stuck around for one day.  Living in Colorado, Jim's family is tired of the snow, but it was a special treat for us!  Well, not "us", I mean the kids, I personally am not a big fan of snow. :) 

While there, we visited Jim's naturopath doctors that treated him back in January, for some cleansing and detoxing.  I even got in on the fun and had a foot bath detox. If only they would have polished my toes, I would have been set! After his appointments, we relaxed at the Glenwood Hot Springs.  It's pretty cool swimming in a huge pool of natural warm water, surrounded by snow covered mountains.  What an amazing experience. Although I will say, I have been to the hot springs in Steamboat Springs, CO, and they're even more amazing!

On the way home to California we spent a few days at Lake Las Vegas to thaw out.  What a beautiful place the Westin Lake Las Vegas is.  I would highly recommend it if you're ever in that area and want to stay somewhere that doesn't scream "Vegas". 

We needed a vacation from our vacation by the time we got home, but we're so thankful we were able to make the trip.  Last week, Jim had his weekly appointment with his functional neurologist and an appointment with the Bio dentist.  After the dentist reviewed his x-rays, it turns out he has no mercury fillings, so he his cleared for stem cell treatment.  Great news, so excited for him to start the treatment in 3 weeks! 

Speaking of stem cell, if you haven't checked out Jim's GoFundMe account lately, we are almost at our goal!  So amazing!  I honestly can not believe the amount of love and support Jim has received.  To say you are appreciated would be an understatement.  Thank you so much for joining the fight, how blessed we are to have each and everyone of you in our lives!  Stay tuned!  xoxo

Chicken Coop Remodel!

Snow Day!

Glenwood Hot Springs

Lake Las Vegas

Man's Best Friend - Meet Blu

We have a new addition to our family...the four-legged furry kind!  Last Friday, we headed to the airport to pick up Blu, our 9 week old Blue Queensland Heeler, aka, Australian Cattle Dog. Blu flew in all the way from a breeder in Missouri. Jim has always wanted this breed of dog, and after having to put our 14 year old Boxer down a year ago, we finally convinced him this family needs another dog!  He has quickly become Jim's new best friend.  Jim takes him to the job site with him every day, he sits on Jim's lap while he drives, and is dirty as can be when he gets home.  It's amazing how the love, companionship and loyalty of a little puppy, can really brighten a person's day. 

We wanted to thank Rogers Heelers, for allowing us to make our home, Blu's home, and to Robin and Becky for making it all possible.  We love you guys!

Blu will be heading on a 13 hour road trip with us soon.  Two four year olds and a 2 month old puppy...wish us luck!

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself" ~ Josh Billings



Love at first sight




At the airport





Stem Cell

During our extensive research of ALS (man how I have come to hate those three letters and everything they stand for), we came across a lot of articles about stem cell research and treatment.  About 2 months ago, Jim and I decided to meet with a stem cell doctor.  People travel from all over the US to see this particular doctor, and he happened to be 5 minutes from our house, so what the heck.  We literally left our appointment feeling that we had just met a mad scientist.  Yes, it was very obvious this man was a genius, but he talked so over our heads that we left with more questions than answers.  We decided to keep stem cell on the back burner until we learned more about it.

Since that time, we have done our research on stem cell treatment for ALS, and have gotten several recommendations for this doctor.  After much consideration, Jim has decided that stem cell treatment is something he would like to have done.  As with everything, there are no guarantees, but it sounds like it's certainly worth a shot.  The biggest obstacle of course, is stem cell treatment is very expensive, and of course is not covered by insurance.  Having said that,  you just can't put a price tag on one's life!

Today, our wonderful friend and neighbor Becky, created a Go Fund Me page for Jim.  We will be using this site to raise money for Jim's stem cell treatment.  If you'd like to check it out, Jim's page can be found at Join Jims Fight Against ALS. 

Below are a few links where you can read about the results doctors are seeing with ALS and stem cell.  It's all very exciting, and we, as always,  are very HOPEFUL. 


WebMD

Whitaker Wellness Institute

UCSD

If Your Brain Could Speak...

It's been three weeks since my last post, my how time flies!!  There's never a dull moment around our household, so finding the time for "blogging" can be a bit of a challenge.  God's love has shone brighter than ever these last few weeks.  We are so grateful for the friends and family we have in our lives, words cannot fully express our gratitude. 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

This weekend we started attending a new church and love it!  We are so excited to call Calvary Chapel, SJC, our new house of worship.  Yesterday's message was about the power of prayer.  All you prayer warriors out there, please keep Jim in your prayers!  This Wednesday, Michael and Pam Rozell from Potters Field Ministry will be speaking, we are really looking forward to hearing their message. 

Jim's spirit just can't be broken.  His determination and positive attitude truly inspires me.  His symptoms are holding steady, not really increasing or decreasing.  He still has muscle weakness in his left hand and struggles with speaking clearly.  Jim is currently under the care of Dr. Michael Allen, DC, NMD, who he sees once a week.  Dr. Allen is hopeful, as are we, that he can slow the progression of Jim's ALS.  Last week, before his appointment, Jim was struggling to get his shirt buttoned because his left thumb refused to cooperate.  He was buttoning his shirt just fine when he left Dr. Allen's office.  Very exciting! 

Dr. Allen is a Functional Neurologist.  What is a functional neurologist you ask?  Good question!  Rather than try and explain it, because I would do a horrible job, I have taken an excerpt from Dr. Allen's book, What Your Brain Might Say If It Could Speak.

The original concepts of functional neurology were developed by my good friend and teacher, Professor Frederick Carrick, of the Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Prof. Carrick’s original ideas have progressed relative to his clinical experience and deeper understanding of the human nervous system’s function.

Functional neurology is the study of the inter-relationships of an individual’s nervous system within the context of their greater health. It considers that a person’s functional state is generally determined by the quality of their brain’s input and the clarity of its output as well as the supply of nutrients and oxygen that reach that person’s nervous system.

Functional Neurologists consider that the functional state of a person’s nervous system will impact all related systems that are anatomically or embryologically related. They use these relationships to effect a positive neurological change using intrinsically and/or extrinsically generated stimuli that build functional neuroplasticity within the dysfunctioning nervous system, thus improving the neuronal performance of the individual as a whole.

Jim is continuing with the Paleo Diet, a long list of supplements, special exercises, and a new pair of awesome glasses called Eyelights!  These glasses are designed to stimulate the weaker side of the brain, which in Jim's case is the right side. 

Jim sportin' his new shades! 



Well, that's the latest and greatest from our part of the world.  Hope everyone survived their Monday.  Until next time friends...xo

Detox - Colorado Style

On January 4th, 2013, Jim flew to Colorado to spend 10 days with his mom, sister and his sister's family.  During those 10 days, Jim's body went through a series of serious detoxing. Ozone treatments, foot baths, chiropractic adjustments, bio meridian tests, and a few things that I probably shouldn't mention (yikes).  He was also given a laundry list of nutritional supplements and herbs to start taking.  It was a long 10 days, and we missed him a lot, but the HOPE in his voice when he called, made it all worth it.  Knowing that he was actively doing something to battle ALS, rather than waiting for ALS to destroy him, made him feel good about his decision to leave us for 10 days, especially at a very vulnerable time.

One thing I want to make sure I'm clear about is, Naturopath doctors do not claim to have a cure for ALS, at least not the ones we have seen.  The theory behind naturopathy is to rid your body of toxins, in the hope that your body will start fighting disease rather than the toxins in your body.

The most exciting news about Jim's trip to Colorado was Jim renewing his relationship with Jesus Christ. Watching Jim praying and reading his devotional books, warms my heart. 

Jim came home from Colorado feeling better than he has ever felt in his life.  His mind and body were ready to battle the only thing trying to old him back, ALS.

Next step.. Functional Neurology

The Paleo Diet

naturopathy /na·tur·op·a·thy:  A system of therapeutics in which surgery and prescription medications are avoided, and preparations such as vitamins, nutritional supplements, herbs and a healthy diet are used to treat and prevent disease.   Whose purpose is to treat the whole person to stimulate and support the person's own innate healing capacity.

Shortly after Jim's ALS diagnosis, Jim reached out to his sister who lives in Colorado. Karen was one of those moms who didn't believe in vaccinations for her children, all 3 of whom she gave birth to with a mid-wife (yes, one of those).  Jim and I had always thought this was a little crazy, not crazy in a bad way, just something we would never have considered for our own children.  I now know that the only reason we might have thought it crazy was because we were completely uneducated on anything outside of the world of Western Medicine.

Karen is a naturopath warrior, and she is also a woman of strong faith and we are so grateful for both.  Needless to say she was thrilled Jim was reaching out to her, and from that day on she has been on a mission to help Jim heal through prayer and natural healing.  We were off the road to despair and on the road to HOPE. 

Her first instructions for Jim were sent to me by text.  Jim was to stop putting toxins in his body immediately, (wait, no more In-N-Out??).  We were to get a copy of the Paleo Solution book by Robb Wolf and the Paleo Diet Cookbook by Loren Cordain, Ph.D., and follow it to a T.  High nutritional intake only, nothing "dead" or out of a box, nothing out of a can, no gmos (genetically modified foods), hunter gatherer meals only, no carbs, no dairy, no coffee, no salt and definitely no sugar.

"OK", was my only response.  I honestly didn't even know where I would start with this type of meal planning.  How would I even prepare him a meal of such standards?  The poor guy was going to starve to death.  Sure, I can whip up a mean salad, but could a man, used to pasta, potatoes, tacos and burgers live off salads every night?  I think not.  Fortunately, there was a whole world of healthy food choices out there we knew little about.  The healthy "Paleo" meals we have created are some of the best tasting meals we had ever eaten. Jim is 100% committed to the Paleo Diet (me, well I did give up diet coke 3 weeks ago, it's a start), he has lost weight that he could afford to lose, and fills his body with the nutrients it needs.  I am inspired by his unwaivering determination to beat this disease.

Good bye Costco, hello Whole Foods!

(I know what you're thinking, Whole Foods is SO expensive, yes, it is more than a grocery store, but the money we are saving by rarely eating out, makes up for it!).

Next Step... Detox.