More Amazing News & Happy 3-Year Gerson Anniversary!
[The numbers below are a few from this post in November 2014 with updates added]
Our Gerson-o-Meter:
6,740 carrot juices
1,820 bowls of Hippocrates soup
1,030 bowls of plain, organic oatmeal
That’s just plain CRAY-CRAY!
April 2015 marked the three-year anniversary since Sy started with the Gerson Therapy. Keep in mind that he started off just drinking gruel (Yikes!) and look how far he has come! Even though he is still only eating about 10% of what is allotted on the actual therapy, it has still healed his little body in amazing ways. And I must say considering all of the work of juicing, prepping, milling, detoxing, etc. mixed with Sy's crazy self-discipline, I'm so stinkin' thrilled to say that the therapy works!
We had another fabulous report from Sy's gastroenterologist (GI) today! Thankfully, it made leaving for the hospital at 5:15 this morning so worth it. Since November 2014, we have introduced three new foods for Sy and today we went in surgically to see how he is really doing. The doctor just gave his report based on what he saw visually during the endoscopy (which is minor surgery with full anesthesia–Sy loves the bubblegum smell of the gas) and we'll get the complete biopsy reports in a few weeks. Needless to say from what the GI saw today, Sy passed these three food trials! This is huge and we will continue to introduce more foods pending the biopsy results all come back normal. We are so excited!
Since the doctor used the term "remission" and "to keep doing what you're doing" back in November, many of you have asked what does this really mean for Sy's disease in which there is no cure… Well to us, that means that God has used the Gerson Therapy to truly heal Sy. I cannot tell you how hard (I mean at the end of myself HARD) these last three years have been. To take a therapy that takes eight hours a day of prep (that you are supposed to have outside help for–which we didn't except for the first three months) and streamline it in such a way to make it doable for a family of six, working and training for missions, all while residing in an RV (yes, a flipping recreational vehicle!), homeschooling, and trying to live life as a fun and wild adventure making crazy memories for our kiddos was/is insane to say the least! We have all worked and sacrificed so much to get to this point. It has rattled me to my inner core where some days it's been truly more than I could handle. I have seen my son smile and be content day after day drinking a juice or eating a green apple when everyone around him is heartily snacking on things like ice cream, blueberries, cake, mac-n-cheese, peanut butter, gum, candy, popsicles, spaghetti, Cracker Barrel, and everything else our American culture enjoys eating. Sy just has to watch! Just watch and smell! That's it. I struggle to give up chocolate and he just blows my mind sipping on his carrot juice. I've never seen anything like it. His self-discipline and attitude can only be grace gifted to me from Jesus Himself. That isn't to say that he's never had a tearful day, but they are amazingly few and far between.
So back to my point: Remission? What does that really look like for Sy? It means that we slowly introduce more whole, organic foods into his diet. Like I mentioned before, he only eats about 10% of Gerson allowed foods! So we start to introduce more foods allowed on the therapy. So many of you say, "Why don't you just give him McDonald's or pizza if he's truly healed? Question numero uno: Why would I want to? This is the cleanest eating kid quite possibly in the world who has lived most of his life getting full nutrition from liquids and soft foods. I can't even imagine the shock his poor body would go in to which ultimately, would make him very sick. Question numero dos: After coming so very far, why risk him reacting to something and having to take food away from him again? I can't put him through that ever, ever again. It was so heart-wrenching in the years before the therapy when we would complete medical food trials! And as he failed every one, we had to take more and more and eventually ALL food away. Anyway, I promised I wouldn't make him re-live those days. I can't make these last three years of his hard work and self-discipline null and void. So we will take things slow and steady and Gerson approved.
Sy may always have to eat an organic, vegan diet and you know what? There are way worse things! Remission means that he is doing well right now and we will continue to work the hours each day doing the therapy to make sure he stays that way!
Thank you for praying for him and rallying around him with your love and support. You guys are fabulous & help get us through this journey!
All Juiced Up,
Heather*
