Background My name is Esther, I am an Israeli, Ive been living in LA since 2005 I am 36 years old I became a lawyer in Israel in 2004 but chose to devote my time to my work at the Kabbalah Centre, And have been doing that ever since I Met my husband 3 years ago He is an Israeli as well. His family's origins are from Yaman, Iraq and Georgia (Russia) and mine are from Hungry, Georgia, Russia and I think Poland. We are very lucky to be on a similar path and share a lot of our views about life and about the world. Pregnancy + birth We were pregnant 6 months after the wedding and were very excited about it. Except for the first 3 months of nausea I was well, still running till the 7th month I was taking prenatals and trying to eat "healthy" according to my knowledge back then. My water broke on Sunday morning of week 38 to my pregnancy I was induced and even though I really wanted to avoid it I begged for a shot of Epidural. My son was born at exactly 18:18 on February 27. 18 in Hebrew means "Alive" I wasn't aware of the drama, but apparently he wasn't crying as he should and they sucked 5 little bottles of green liquid from his mouth (thought to be meconium), They sent us home the next day without him passing any poop and forgetting to take an Xray as were supposed to When I told the nurse he spat black liquid she said it is normal They made a mistake and put him in life danger in the hands of 2 very new parents that barely figured out how to put a diaper on 2 days after when our son kept throwing up green liquid we called the dr and were told to go to the ER. Chapter 3 shattered dream When we came to ER they took him up to an emergency surgery Apparently he had "Jejunal Atrejia" which means a part of his intestines wasn't developed and created a blockage that eventually created a perferation (possibly due to their negligence) They cut 10 centimeters of the intestines out and told us he will have to stay at the hospital We were devastated but also grateful that our son is saved and alive. 1
Our son was at Cedar Sinai for 2 months with a plastic "balloon" attached to the side of his abdomen (stoma) His intestines weren't connected back and exited into this balloon The experience at the hospital was an unbelievable challenge I can't even begin to explain the different issues that came up every day The feeling that he will never leave the hospital It was just nuts, blood transfusion, needles, anesthesia, IV's and what not? A month into our stay my husband picked me up from work to talk to me He broke the news to me our son was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrozis I didn't know exactly what it means, I just remembered scary commercials on the Israeli TV when I was a kid We learned that it is a genetic problem that hurts the ability of the body to get rid of salts and by that creates mucus and can hurt the lungs and the digestive system, The internet information was terrible, not updated and terrifying. I don t remember such a difficult time in my life Every word the doctors would say felt like a knife in my heart The implications of this So many thoughts and fears and nobody there to really give you some hope (one great doctor who also did the surgery, Dr Steven Chen was our "angel" and the only positive guy) They took us to a room with 8 other doctors to explain about CF and told us about their clinic They told us its severe They told us "He will get sick" They will treat him aggressively He will eat fatty junk food They are sorry bla bla bla Me and my husband believe that everything that happens to us is always for the best and is there to help us learn and grow We were fighting to be positive but I was crushed Life Begins Our son left the hospital in May 2011 We were instructed to give him digestive enzymes before every meal (because he cannot digest fat without it) To give him a Progestimil formula (so nasty he would throw up every time, but we made him get used to it) We had to start looking for fundings, applying for disability, different financial assistance because the medications are so expensive, for example, just one of the inhaled medications, Pulmozyme, costs a few thousand dollars a month!, it is considered a very expensive disease. The Conventional journey 2
We started going to the LA Children's hospital, CF CLINIC Our life were going through turmoil, so many things to consider, For instance our child is to basically be secluded, the danger of him getting a cold is so great that we had to use sanitizer every second, no friends were to come close. Every visit to the clinic came with a gift of a new drug: Digestive enzymes (made from pig) Actigal (started as a cure of a slight Billyrubin and then continued "for life" to protect his liver even though he was well) Albuterol inhaler to open the airways 1/4 spoon of salt a day Vitamin complex Chest Physical therapy 20 minuets twice a day erythromycin to help a delayed emptying of the stomach previsite to help a reflux Pulmozyme an inhaler to break the DNA of the Mucus Pulmicort Steroids to help the berthing Tobi inhaled antibiotics to get rid of Pseudomonas the most feared bug by CF patients In order to make him fat they told us to start feeding him as fast as possible with chicken, rice, beans, rice cereal and more We were looking all over for different doctors who can give us information, we almost went to Tijuana for stem cell transplant, we spoke to a doctor in Canada and in Israel It all sounded like a broken record We went all the way with the doctors, We trusted them that they are saving our sons life A few weeks after we got home we were already in the ER with severe wheezing, thank god they sent us home with antibiotics When he was 6 months (August) he was hospitalized for the first time Every hospitalization is always 14 days no matter what they find in the test or Xray. Being poked and drugged, few kinds of antibiotics, X-rays, radioactive colon test, getting a Pick line every time under full anesthesia We felt So much guilt for letting him get sick and went home relived - I promised myself I will keep him safer this time Less than 2 months later (in October) again My son started wheezing (making those whistle sounds) and that wheezing wouldn't go away till it becomes really loud and we go to the hospital The rest is history drugs, anesthesia, poking and hopelessness. our daily routines were very long- 3
Twice a day it was chest Physical therapy (20 minuets each) pounding strongly on his chest, followed by 3-4 different inhaled medications each takes 20 minuets putting the mask on his little face. that s at least an hour twice a day with the loud inhaling machine Different medicines, syringes, medicine cups Tiny plastic granules (Enzymes) scattered over the carpet, our bed, everywhere no matter how clean I try to be can't go anywhere from the fear of catching a cold, can't invite friends over I am probably forgetting some details But I hope you get the picture 2 months later, new years eve - our friends are on their way to camping and we are on our way back from Palm springs to the ER, scared sad and full of guilt for seeing our son again "sick" We thought our son was stronger this time but of course the sentence was expected 2 weeks at the hospital antibiotics through the vain This time was harder We fought with them not to put him under anesthesia, that costed our son a full day of poking - 5 different nurses looking for a vain, each of them trying at least 2-3 spots on his little body while he is screaming Eventually they shaved a piece of his hair above the forehead and placed an IV there Our son took this IV out by the evening and eventually we surrendered and he was taken to do a Pick line procedure under full anesthesia. So hopeless, not getting any answers why does it happen? What have we done wrong? Is it a virus? Then why is the viral panel coming back negative? Is it an an infection? So why is this test coming negative, no answers! A ray of light 2 weeks before the hospital stay a friend of mine from NY came to visit, I didn't really share about Our son, I barley told anyone he has CF For some reason she knew (heard from our friend) and she asked me about it, I said yes. She started researching for me and telling me about this guy, herbalist and ways to heal I was thinking she has no idea what she is talking about, it doesn't exist She said she will send me a link but I never got it. When we were about to leave the hospital I texted her that I never got her link, so she sent me a link and an answer of this Master Herbalist to her question about us The answer was a milion light years away from our reality 4
This guy was talking about nature, healing, how medicine is poisoning and that the kid "might" have a chance to heal if such and such I emailed the herbalist He told me to start reading I ordered the books but in my heart I was saying this is not possible, Also this was a path that means a lot of work, a lot of effort, reading, researching etc, not to mention emotional strength! I didn't like the answers I didn't believe its possible I was angry at his answers I thought he doesn't know what is CF, there is no way my kid can survive without his medications. I told my friend the herbalist is totally depressing me I was depressed for a week, confused When I asked other friends two of them told me it sounds extreme and that I can't stop conventional drugs The turning point At the beginning of February my husband was in Israel, on Saturday night I noticed that my son is congested For us until now it felt like a death sentence a cold will always always! Turn into sickness and a hospital stay. I wanted to cry My mother was visiting me from Israel and I decided I am going to try the herbalist way, what do I have to loose? I already know whats the alternative. I didn't have any herbs yet and didn't read enough I found a few emails of MH to me and read Dr Christopher's chapter about colds This was "war"! I sent my mother to look for raspberry tea and maple, stopped giving him milk I stopped the formula (back then I was still giving him formula to gain weight) I stopped the solid foods (soups etc) I stopped the vitamins, the enzymes the previcit and the erythromycin I gave him baths made him raspberry tea with maple syrup took him out to the sun spent the day with him It was a huge risk giving him tea and no food This went on from Sunday till Wednesday Back then I was still giving him the inhaled medications. By Wednesday night he was much better and on Thursday he was well 5
MH told me that by the age of 1 year they will diagnose him with Asthma, that shocked me because just a few days prior the doctors who didn't know why my son has wheezing said they suspect he has asthma The fact that my son got better for the first time ever without going to the hospital has opened our eyes to a new reality, It was totally mission impossible and it gave us the trust and courage to take it further I slowly started feeding him only baby stage one food, no combinations, no meat no beans no rice I stopped the formula (very tough decision, I was still dreading "them" telling me he lost weight) I tried to continue breastfeeding but when he was 11 months It just didn't work. We started him on goat milk Slowly I removed the vitamins, the salt the other medicines, and later also the Actigal. A few weeks Later he was wheezing again and had a stomach virus We went through another process MH supporting us no matter when and how many stupid questions I ask, Back then I already had some herbs We started giving baby calm Replaced salt in his body with Epsom salt in bath Stopped feeding him coconut oil and olive oil and started using this as a lotion instead of the commercial baby lotions. Then slowly I reduced until I removed completely all the inhaled treatments (yes!!! I couldn't believe it) Instead we started using only the air freshen machine every night with the natural garlic oil combination. we slowly stopped giving enzymes until on February 18 we started feeding him completely without any enzymes We thought He wasn't supposed to be able to live without Enzymes. His stools became regular and healthy It has been 3 months since my son was last sick and needed hospital My son looks so different, like he received a new face, a new life. His face is alive Our life is different, we can just feed him, no need for these enzymes mixed with apple sauce, calculating the times its effecting, No more hours of medical routines instead of spending quality time with him. We are not scared like its the end of the world from any cold, congestion or wheezing. We started seeing a chiropractor with MH advice The wheezing completely stopped When we have a problem, congestion or stomach problem we go back to the same ways and allow him to heal himself. 6
The fact that my son is 100% medicine free, all natural is beyond logical It is not supposed to happen He is not fat but he looks so healthy and his chicks are chubby I cant wait for time to pass so I can tell you its been a year and he is doing great but I think the experience that we have been through in the past few months has changed our lives forever. For us its not just another healer with a technique or powers, this is exactly what we believe in, and we are so grateful that there was someone there to share this with us, We are also working on our health. We want to share this with as many people as possible Especially parents with Cf kids who have to see their kids poisoned and limited every day I will send copies of my emails to MH with the answers, I am sure someone can benefit from this process, the questions and the answers Love, Esther P.S. Its May 2012 My son is still medicine free and we are grateful I have to share that I received an email from a pediatrician I went to see here in LA and decided not to work with. His approach was to give the kid supplements vitamins, homeopathy, blood tests without really listening to my approach or getting to know him. He had a whole list of companies to choose from and he considers himself very open minded. I felt immediately that I don t think he can help but I still decided to be real with him and share our process. 2 weeks ago I received an email from him about his concerns and his plans to contact the state to protect my child I was shocked, He was talking to me as if I am a neglecting ignorant parent. That made me understand the medical world and understand I cant be that naïve and I cant share with anyone this path, Thank god I had a new pediatrician and that got him off our backs. but that was scary 7
8