tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11010991706068327772024-03-05T18:10:20.622-06:00The Not So Simple TruthAll truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident . Facts are stubborn, and refusal to accept them does not avoid their inexorable effects-the tragic consequences are now upon us - Hellen Keller. The time has come for everyone to step up and be an advocate for our children. It is no longer enough to simply ask questions. We need to demand answers.KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-47290184447154156442013-08-08T19:01:00.004-05:002013-08-08T19:19:58.360-05:00More Beautiful Than Tragic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here is the new video I made with the iMovie program. Let me know what you think :)</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CVrvbCD4t1o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVrvbCD4t1o" target="_blank">More Beautiful Than Tragic</a></div>
KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-21592890088041263652013-07-27T19:22:00.001-05:002013-07-27T19:22:31.481-05:00Coming soon...... <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I made this video during an Apple training seminar I was at for work. We had about 10 or so minutes to "play" after he taught us how to do it. I can't wait to spend some more time with the iMovie program!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzE-kwJH1h2WSoGF0bX_C7jYGys6dgWanc5UQd6_dSOQEwNIb6oHaqGyU6Y7i8TIEOgEqm1FuX8o_md6wLkGg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-68427511623209379872013-06-09T22:47:00.000-05:002013-06-10T08:03:24.057-05:00Christianity and the Law of Attraction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I recently (in the past two years) found a church that my family and I call home. </div>
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The experience for me has been quite profound. I finally found a church that I fit into despite my inability to completely appreciate all aspects of "religion". Despite being raised in Catholic schools my whole life, it is only now that I feel <i style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">connected</i> to God. </div>
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It's been a process for me though....</div>
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I knew I wanted to expose KC to the Church, I just wasn't sure how at first. A few people have wondered out-loud why I didn't baptize him as a child. I didn't have a clear answer, but I knew that it needed to be real and authentic in order to be meaningful for him. </div>
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What I like about the Church I attend now is that it is very welcoming to any and all people. They spend most of the "preaching" time giving practical advice on how to live a Godly life in today's day and age. I am learning a lot, and so is KC. </div>
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The worship band is what originally drew us in. For the first 30 minutes we listen to an amazing worship band with several main vocalists, guitar, piano, etc. KC loves it and gets so excited when the 5 minute countdown begins on the screen. During the time the band is playing, KC sings, dances, and worships. </div>
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But like I said.....it has not been a clear cut path for me. I have trust issues, and sometimes I don't know what to believe. I can't say I don't sometimes have doubts. But I do know that when I am there, I feel so connected. At other times, I feel conflicted.</div>
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In the past, I have studied and learned a little bit about the Law of Attraction. </div>
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It is very interesting, and I am convinced that certain things that happen, can <i>only</i> be explained by this principle. So it brings to mind for me the principles of Christianity. <i>Faith, hope, trust</i>....these are central to Christianity. I believe they are the same as positive thinking, prayer, etc. We may call it different things, but essentially they seem to incorporate the same principles, with a few notable exceptions. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Continuing with the concept that some things are </span><i>only </i>explained by the Law of Attraction, I have seen other things that as far as I can tell, can only be explained in terms of God. For me, science just can't explain everything.</div>
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I decided to do some research to see what other people have concluded on the subject. I will post here the one that I like best. I'm interested to hear thoughts on this. Some of what the article says supports my assertion but I suspect it is not as black and white as it is portrayed to be. But that's just my opinion as I understand it so far.<br />
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<a href="http://www.johnplaceonline.com/stress-management/jesus-versus-the-secret-a-christians-guide-to-the-law-of-attraction/" target="_blank">Click here for article</a></div>
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KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-18100480007136215992011-06-03T19:53:00.000-05:002011-06-03T19:53:49.332-05:00How many times can one heart break in a lifetime...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Lets be clear about one thing. I understand that things are probably not as bad as I feel like they are right now. I am grateful for what I have with KC. I am very aware of how lucky I am that he does as well as he does. But I can simultaneously feel lucky in that way, while I also break inside in other ways. <br />
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KC had an appointment today with his Neuro-psychiatrist. <br />
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Dr. NP (short for Dr. Neuro-psych) told me at our last visit that while Dr. Neuro may have run out of options to treat the seizures, we have only just begun opening up Dr. NP's bag of tricks. We have many more options. I felt great hearing this! And, as it turned out, the slight med tweak that we did at that appointment bought us a month or so of the best progress we have seen yet with KC. Huge language burst, calmness, etc. All hitting, throwing, and self-injurious behavior ceased. He began coming when called, consistently!! It was nothing short of amazing. My Mom took KC to the Zoo and described it, with tears of joy in her eyes, as feeling like she was taking her typical grandson to the Zoo. He stayed near her with no leash or stroller, waited in line, no meltdowns. It was a beautiful thing.<br />
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I knew the whole time that this would not likely last. I tried like hell not to get used to it. I expected some back sliding and felt that I was safely guarding myself. I was wrong. What I did not prepare myself for was for KC to suddenly loose all of his new skills, and behavior and end up further back than he was before we started the risperadol. Pretty much overnight. For the last three weeks I have been wracking my brain trying to understand how this could have happened. I am trying everything I can think of to help him get back on track. <br />
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I emailed Dr. NP, who responded with something like "Karen I am sure we can figure out what is going on and find a way to help KC. Come see me". So, I made the appointment! I went in today hoping against hope that he was right. I felt almost desperate. But hopeful. <br />
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The first hit I took was the fact that Dr. NP was NOT EVEN IN TODAY. He pawned us off on some doctor I have never even met! We did see the resident prior to seeing Dr. Whoeverthefuckheis. She was kind, and gentle. We discussed some OT options with regards to stimulating KC so that he will not continue to claw at his eyes constantly. We need to do something before he does serious damage to his eyes. As it is, each night his eyes are red, swollen and watery from constant poking. She had a few suggestions about possibly putting KC on an anti-depressant to try to help with behaviors. We talked for quite a while, but she never really said why this happened in the first place, so I asked. Teary eyed, and desperate. "Why is this happening, and how can we keep it from continuing? Her answer? It was in a soft, kind voice:<br />
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"Its just the nature of the beast" She later went on to say "These types of emotional issues with be lifelong for KC. The trick is figuring out how to manage it." <br />
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And it felt like a blow to the chest. <br />
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I have been told more times than I would like to remember, that this is just how it is with kids who have IS and autism. And it kills me. Because I have seen him when he is not like this. I get these glimpses of a little boy who does not have to struggle for every fucking thing in his life. I get a view of a little boy who can function well, and can be happy. So why the fuck should I have to accept the fact that this is just how it is?! Its NOT. It can't be. After all these years of fighting, it can't be that this is how he is going to be. <br />
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And honestly, I don't think she meant it how I am taking it. I think she meant that he will always struggle with it, but eventually he will figure out how to regulate it better. But she doesn't know for sure. No one does. Maybe it was the kind, almost sad look she gave me when I so desperately asked her how we fix this. Like a doctor telling an unsuspecting patient that their disease is terminal. His isn't, but right now it feels that way to me.<br />
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Many other doctors have told me the opposite...he WILL be ok. He is smart, he has a lot of advantages that other kids in his boat don't have. But what I have been seeing in him lately is scary. He is getting worse. He is falling further and further behind other kids his age. He has never been close anyway, developmentally, but now it is way more obvious. Some behaviors are likened to a 18 month old, some more like a 2 year old. He will be 5 in October. And yea, I get it that in some ways I am lucky to have that. But I got to see him progress SO much, and the sting of seeing it all taken away is so raw.<br />
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I think that in some ways, if he was just always worse off, it might be easier. Only in some ways. Obviously in other ways it would be harder. But this here is a special kind of hell. Because I am constantly shown how much better he could be doing, only to have it ripped away. Every. Fucking. Time. I don't know how I can go on hoping, believing. It hurts so bad. <br />
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I am terrified. I am scared that this is always how it will be. He will stagnate around 2 years old and never get better. Or, even worse, he will progress and loose it all. Time and time again. What if nothing works? What if he can't ever be independent? Again, typical things with IS kids, but all these years of having the possibility of it not being this way being dangled in front of me. Its cruel. Life can be so fucking cruel sometimes. For him, my sweet baby. His own body betrays him constantly and he has to suffer the consequences. He is such a good person. He doesn't deserve this. And for me. This pain I feel right now, I have felt many times before, but it never gets easier. It does come a lot less often than it used to, so that is good. But it hurts just as bad when it comes. Words (even though I typed a lot of them) don't do justice to how sad and scared I feel right now. I hate it. No one can promise me that he will be ok. So, sometimes I just have to take a long hard look at the fact that things just might not turn out ok. Its a hard thing for a mother to deal with. <br />
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This despair I feel right now won't last. I will work through this pain and go back to dealing with things more rationally. I just have to process it in order to let it go. It just hit me hard this time because I really wasn't expecting it. One thing that will never change, is how much I love my son. He is everything that matters to me in this world. I read a quote today that seems so fitting : "This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you" <span style="float: right;"> <img alt="" height="7" src="http://thinkexist.com/i/sq/3star.gif" width="39" /> <img alt="I Like this quote" border="0" height="11" src="http://thinkexist.com/i/sq/ThumbsUp.gif" style="cursor: pointer;" width="12" /> <img alt="I dislike this quote" border="0" height="11" src="http://thinkexist.com/i/sq/ThumbsDwn.gif" style="cursor: pointer;" width="12" /></span>And its true. Its not him that wasn't meant for this world, its this world that wasn't meant for him. But he is here, and he's mine. And I will fight until the day I die to give him the life that he so richly deserves. <span class="sqq"></span><br />
</div>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-21849104886290244232011-05-17T18:07:00.000-05:002011-05-17T18:07:30.617-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I recently read an article, and I wanted to sum it up and give you some main points, but I am falling short and feel like you need to get it directly from the horses mouth. I will post the parts that I find importnat, and I will link the entire article so you can read if you choose.. I would specifically pay attention to the part that talks about how the Vaccine court works...how quietly it works.<br />
<br />
<strong>Judy Converse, MPH RD LD, May 10, 2011 writes...</strong><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">When we have our babies, we feel safe because we have vaccines. We regard them as no less than life-granting elixirs of modern times, the dividing line between a safe and secure health trajectory for our kids, and certain death from diseases of yore.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">But cracks in that comfortable veneer have definitely formed, giving a sense of the inevitable to what was once inconceivable. Have we tapped out the usefulness of vaccines? Are they more harm than good, as we now use them?</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">And now this. A cluster of parents who managed to survive </span><a href="http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/vaccine-programoffice-special-masters" target="_blank" title="vaccine court"><span style="color: #38761d;">Vaccine Court</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;"> – a little known corner of hell reserved for those whose children are injured or killed by vaccinations – have banded together to speak out. Vaccine Court is where you end up if you know enough to file a claim for a child’s vaccine injury. Since the pharmaceutical industry won itself protections against any liability for injury law suits in the 1980s, and since the </span><a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/031484_Supreme_Court_vaccine_makers.html" target="_blank" title="vaccines unavoidably unsafe"><span style="color: #38761d;">Supreme Court</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;"> solidified this protection by removing parents’ rights to pursue civil court appeals just this year, families are left to make claims with the government when the unthinkable happens to a baby or child who is dutifully submitted for shots. For twenty-five years, a tax added to the sale of each vaccine has paid into a fund to take care of these children. That is, if parents know of and pursue their rights, and if they prevail in this court system.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">For years, at the same time we’ve heard assurances that vaccines are safe, the federal government’s Vaccine Court has </span><a href="http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1681&context=pelr" target="_blank" title="vicp"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">quietly paid millions</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;"> to families whose children suffered devastating brain injuries from routine shots. “Quiet” is the operative word here, as parent Sarah Bridges, who holds a PhD in psychology, explains: She was advised “very routinely” by her lawyer to “be careful talking about this” lest her son’s custodial funds evaporate. At risk of losing their hard won compensation – these cases have been gagged for a quarter century – parents are now </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXp4hM3eQuI" target="_blank" title="fox news on vicp"><span style="color: #38761d;">speaking out</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;">, and revealing that their children were the canaries in the coalmine. Ms. Bridges’ son for example, who is now seventeen years old, has mental retardation, epilepsy, and autism thanks to infant vaccinations, and lives in a care home wearing a diaper and a helmet thanks to the compensation program paying for it all.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">This is bad news for anyone who feels unsafe without vaccines.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">I don’t feel afraid without vaccines. Even with a master’s degree in public health, and years of university training in health sciences, I am relieved to see what may be a tipping point here.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Meanwhile, more integrative medicine strategies evolve every year – tools that rely less on drugs and surgery and more on whole organic foods, reduced toxins, nutraceutical strategies, or other modalities. Witness the </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20219962" target="_blank" title="vitamin D flu"><span style="color: #38761d;">success of vitamin D</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;"> in preventing and shortening course of flu, for one small example out of hundreds, that illuminate the potential of pharmaceutical and toxin-free strategies to minimize infectious disease.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">These strategies tend to be unpopular with the medical press and our government health agencies. What that means is that if the bloom is off the vaccine rose, they are going to be the last to admit it – but that’s another blog. In the meantime, be a smart health consumer for your own babies and kids. Read alternative views on vaccination, tap providers trained to engage nutrition-focused tools for healthy immune function. If you want to opt out of the vaccine schedule in whole or in part, you can</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">- Check your state’s mechanisms for vaccine choice by clicking </span><a href="http://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/state-vaccine-requirements.aspx" target="_blank" title="nvic states"><span style="color: #38761d;">here</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">- Switch to a family practice physician, osteopathic doctor (DO) or a naturopath (ND), if your pediatrician is coercive about vaccines beyond your comfort level.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">- Read </span><a href="http://pharm-freebabiesandkids.com/reviews/" target="_blank" title="snkgpf"><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Special Needs Kids Go Pharm-Free: Nutrition-Focused Tools To Minimize Meds and Maximize Health and Well Being</span></em></a><span style="color: #38761d;">, even if your kid isn’t diagnosed with a special need. See the chapter on avoiding infections, and the section on working with providers to help you through infections when they occur.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">We all owe a debt to the 83 Canaries, the children the government did not want you to know about who have been thrown under the vaccine bus. Their parents are speaking out, and according to Mary Holland at the Elizabeth Birth Center for Autism Law and Advocacy </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">(</span><a href="http://www.ebcala.org/" target="_blank" title="ebcala"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">EBCALA</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">),</span> it’s just the tip of the iceberg.</span><br />
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</script><div addthis:title="Beyond Vaccines: Will The 83 Canaries Make Them Obsolete?" addthis:url="http://nutritioncare.net/blog/2011/05/10/vaccines-83-canaries-obsolete/" class="addthis_container addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style"><a class="addthis_button_compact at300m" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=chrisconverse" ost="1"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_compact"></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Share</span></a><span class="addthis_separator"><span style="color: #38761d;">|</span></span><a at_titled="1" class="addthis_button_email at300b" href="" ost="1" title="Email"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_email"></span></a><a at_titled="1" class="addthis_button_facebook at300b" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=chrisconverse&source=tbx-250,wpp-250&lng=en&s=facebook&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnutritioncare.net%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F10%2Fvaccines-83-canaries-obsolete%2F&title=Beyond%20Vaccines%3A%20Will%20The%2083%20Canaries%20Make%20Them%20Obsolete%3F&ate=AT-chrisconverse/-/-/4dd2fc66b36172ab/1&uid=4dd2fc6669458432&sms_ss=1&at_xt=1&pre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vaccinationnews.com%2Fnode%2F19984&tt=0" ost="1" target="_blank" title="Send to Facebook"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_facebook"></span></a><a at_titled="1" class="addthis_button_twitter at300b" href="" noh="1" ost="1" target="_blank" title="Tweet This"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_twitter"></span></a><a at_titled="1" class="addthis_button_linkedin at300b" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=chrisconverse&source=tbx-250,wpp-250&lng=en&s=linkedin&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnutritioncare.net%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F10%2Fvaccines-83-canaries-obsolete%2F&title=Beyond%20Vaccines%3A%20Will%20The%2083%20Canaries%20Make%20Them%20Obsolete%3F&ate=AT-chrisconverse/-/-/4dd2fc66b36172ab/2&uid=4dd2fc665a7741cd&sms_ss=1&at_xt=1&pre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vaccinationnews.com%2Fnode%2F19984&tt=0" ost="1" target="_blank" title="Send to Linkedin"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_linkedin"></span></a><a at_titled="1" class="addthis_button_digg at300b" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=chrisconverse&source=tbx-250,wpp-250&lng=en&s=digg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnutritioncare.net%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F10%2Fvaccines-83-canaries-obsolete%2F&title=Beyond%20Vaccines%3A%20Will%20The%2083%20Canaries%20Make%20Them%20Obsolete%3F&ate=AT-chrisconverse/-/-/4dd2fc66b36172ab/3&uid=4dd2fc66e5ccd2b6&sms_ss=1&at_xt=1&pre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vaccinationnews.com%2Fnode%2F19984&tt=0" ost="1" target="_blank" title="Digg This"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_digg"></span></a><a at_titled="1" class="addthis_button_delicious at300b" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=chrisconverse&source=tbx-250,wpp-250&lng=en&s=delicious&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnutritioncare.net%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F10%2Fvaccines-83-canaries-obsolete%2F&title=Beyond%20Vaccines%3A%20Will%20The%2083%20Canaries%20Make%20Them%20Obsolete%3F&ate=AT-chrisconverse/-/-/4dd2fc66b36172ab/4&uid=4dd2fc66957d307c&sms_ss=1&at_xt=1&pre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vaccinationnews.com%2Fnode%2F19984&tt=0" ost="1" target="_blank" title="Send to Delicious"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_delicious"></span></a><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=chrisconverse" type="text/javascript">
</script> <div class="atclear"> </div><div class="atclear">Visit <a href="http://nutritioncare.net/blog/2011/05/10/vaccines-83-canaries-obsolete/">http://nutritioncare.net/blog/2011/05/10/vaccines-83-canaries-obsolete/</a></div><div class="atclear"> To get the rest of the article. </div></div><!-- AddThis Button END --></div>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-80395719339372240902011-05-02T18:55:00.001-05:002011-05-02T18:57:23.984-05:00Book Club<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">In an effort to try to be a well rounded blogger, I am trying to think of ideas for weekly features. One idea I had, is to post book reviews. Reading is such an awesome way to escape the pressures of raising a special needs child, or any child for that matter. <br />
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I recently picked up a book that was not exactly my type, but once I started it I couldn't put it down! Its called <em>Time of My Life</em> by Allison Winn Scotch. It is the story of a woman who has the picture perfect life. Successfull husband, healthy daughter, and a nice home. But she can't stop wondering....what if. What if she stayed with Jackson, her passionate ex boyfriend, instead of marrying predictable Henry. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><em>Honestly</em>, I can relate. Don't get me wrong, I would not change the path that led me to the life I have now, but don't ya ever...wonder?</span></span><br />
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Jillian does. And before she knows what is happening, she is back in her IKEA furnished apartment, with Jackson. Each decision she makes in her "new life" sets on a trajectory that mirriors neither her memories or her imagination.<br />
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Taken from the book cover:<br />
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<em>Time of My Life</em> is a fabulous, madcap read, but don't be fooled. Allision Scotch's narrator is wrestling with some tough issues: How do I find my place in the world? Can I become a wife and a mother without loosing myself? Would I have been happier if I had chosen another path?<br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">I think these are questions that, if we are being honest with ourselves, we have all at least considered. Check out this story, and when you are done, let me know how you would answer the questions that Jillian asks herself in this book, and if your perspective has changed after reading...</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Time-Life-Allison-Winn-Scotch/dp/0307408574">http://www.amazon.com/Time-Life-Allison-Winn-Scotch/dp/0307408574</a></div>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-27060239287595887052011-04-25T20:43:00.001-05:002011-04-25T20:58:58.786-05:00Fun, seizures, and other significant happenings...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I have learned that a weekend of fun with seizures, is still a weekend of fun! We took KC to Key Lime Cove, which is a resort near Gurnee that has an indoor water park. Let me rephrase that...a HUGE indoor water park, which KC happened to LOVE!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJVvk08Vy16nEHXySjrgKXX5BM3bDkezb7DAmWAoeDA6cuGvL9Nwuhy18Ka5aUWbwqXj_L_80JuIyX8s-lf1MIqAdjUTmE0yoIjxY-dyL3eAit4laqWBY52CBE47isZQJL-NwnHkPGIci/s1600/key+lime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJVvk08Vy16nEHXySjrgKXX5BM3bDkezb7DAmWAoeDA6cuGvL9Nwuhy18Ka5aUWbwqXj_L_80JuIyX8s-lf1MIqAdjUTmE0yoIjxY-dyL3eAit4laqWBY52CBE47isZQJL-NwnHkPGIci/s320/key+lime.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lets rewind a bit to before we even got there. We told KC about a week in advance that we were going to to the waterpark and he got ridicilously excited . </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But he was able to<em> </em>understand that we were not going today, and that we would have to wait until next week. He <em>understood!!</em> This is <strong>huge</strong>. We used to have to wait until it was time to leave to tell him anything, otherwise he would flip out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xQzmG7BP25PR6XMQaDdQcQ_m-LY7BYFDRxkFEp4Ue_FHqCRebpGwoZS9RcgIXZs7tdrDK42ZuEAacw3evkfUXgYh6N09C3u_2Jsi7jR37D3Ass8LhUA8CUT4-Db7SRHhaJoUc5hsULfk/s1600/kid+flip+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xQzmG7BP25PR6XMQaDdQcQ_m-LY7BYFDRxkFEp4Ue_FHqCRebpGwoZS9RcgIXZs7tdrDK42ZuEAacw3evkfUXgYh6N09C3u_2Jsi7jR37D3Ass8LhUA8CUT4-Db7SRHhaJoUc5hsULfk/s320/kid+flip+out.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Instead, we got to experience a week of excitement with him. Watching the video on the computer of what it looks like, counting down days, etc. Until that day finally arrived, and the first thing he said is "today means key lime cove?" It felt so good to be able to say yes! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He loved the big waterslides, and as far as KC is concerned, the bigger and faster, the better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEz4NvBisGa2ik7t8-skVfpxV175FCwDgIjbxJdSPOG3XiOtz6Wk_KSIO5hggUIUkAM4_FUmPddSVBU9kLjNQDWyN6XHb9ljVjttSMY6tao2q0iI2HJQljJsJL3onTG29ffEvXWNJKyvI/s1600/key+lime+purple+slide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEz4NvBisGa2ik7t8-skVfpxV175FCwDgIjbxJdSPOG3XiOtz6Wk_KSIO5hggUIUkAM4_FUmPddSVBU9kLjNQDWyN6XHb9ljVjttSMY6tao2q0iI2HJQljJsJL3onTG29ffEvXWNJKyvI/s320/key+lime+purple+slide.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
The Lazy river was fun too...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQxBFtDY1WeM0KnH5mWjoNwo707ovWzNwqLkcnNgzvDK13FgXs42O3EHz50QN1OUDsRkiBv3VC86ETdZcAHMnSqTHL7TwVpW04yB7m52JDGYQaeQeeIzzq2UXugaoCpK8v2PHTiaEbXsh/s1600/key+lime+ree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQxBFtDY1WeM0KnH5mWjoNwo707ovWzNwqLkcnNgzvDK13FgXs42O3EHz50QN1OUDsRkiBv3VC86ETdZcAHMnSqTHL7TwVpW04yB7m52JDGYQaeQeeIzzq2UXugaoCpK8v2PHTiaEbXsh/s320/key+lime+ree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We all had a blast, KC, me, Ree (Grandma) and Uncle Kevin. When KC made a weird face, or funny movements, we all tried to avoid eye contact with each other. We didn't want to notice the seizures during all the fun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis61vBB7d-CG1i2UohRzv_MKlJhpZJvx29fIsLDWP310H9JL_jsMPzuUr3W7IE2oyNcDT4TpPJ70lhigH3RKKuIbrewVStqXns387JIBRRpC1mAvwfygVOK3NCLii1AdDz3CSlKG0slSka/s1600/key+lime+kev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis61vBB7d-CG1i2UohRzv_MKlJhpZJvx29fIsLDWP310H9JL_jsMPzuUr3W7IE2oyNcDT4TpPJ70lhigH3RKKuIbrewVStqXns387JIBRRpC1mAvwfygVOK3NCLii1AdDz3CSlKG0slSka/s320/key+lime+kev.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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But they were there, in overdrive. Mostly due to overstimulation, I think. But I tried not to worry because our hearts, each one of them, needed this break from the daily heartbreak. And because I think if KC could communicate this to us, he would tell us he wants to have fun and forget about the seizures for now. Fun now, worry later. <br />
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So that is what we did. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe780TtIUDf5aq43bJVOELEJHxLdh3Ha5XJ34Esyv7FanC5sfgZyTkU8VKw-8JtQPVBRistW_fIEKQHkPaw_t6ZJ9XCTAtGCN59vc0iLGPVt3sVz4F9TwtDY3k4WutPyTMruFju6LCeOC/s1600/key+lime+easter+bunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe780TtIUDf5aq43bJVOELEJHxLdh3Ha5XJ34Esyv7FanC5sfgZyTkU8VKw-8JtQPVBRistW_fIEKQHkPaw_t6ZJ9XCTAtGCN59vc0iLGPVt3sVz4F9TwtDY3k4WutPyTMruFju6LCeOC/s320/key+lime+easter+bunny.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>In the midst of the fun we were having, we ran into the Easter Bunny hanging out in our hotel! KC loves the Easter Bunny and got his much anticipated high five from him.<br />
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We all slept in one hotel room, which made KC so happy. The first thing he said when he woke up was "What day it is today?" Ree-"Its Sunday" KC, in a sweet, just woke up but super excited voice "Its a my uncle Kevin here day?" Uncle Kevin-heart melts and he opens his bedcovers for KC to crawl in :)<br />
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After more swimming fun, and a long ride home I realized that the seizures would be here on Monday, but those moments would be memories not to be had again. So I am glad I decided that a weekend of fun and seizures is still a weekend of <em>great </em>fun!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhao1xMFg73L7sFPwwa4elVZBxVEh0qXlvSVBVzawxSXfZO0XQPv1Yq6ui-UhimGV-7HXtmLWLwmGaiSaVLKkLTsEtoGLyg8eB1pzJW9zGpm2f_z_BYIFiIEKwtQ9sOoxHkkPZVKNbPZ5U9/s1600/key+lime+everyone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhao1xMFg73L7sFPwwa4elVZBxVEh0qXlvSVBVzawxSXfZO0XQPv1Yq6ui-UhimGV-7HXtmLWLwmGaiSaVLKkLTsEtoGLyg8eB1pzJW9zGpm2f_z_BYIFiIEKwtQ9sOoxHkkPZVKNbPZ5U9/s320/key+lime+everyone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>See you next year (hopefully) Key Lime Cove. We will be there, and seizures or no seizures, we will be ready for a great time! <br />
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</div></div>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-68681797163879457002011-04-17T17:25:00.000-05:002011-04-25T21:04:13.526-05:00Why the Debate Continues...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="entry_design_v2 grid two_thirds flush_top col full_border" id="blog_content"><div id="blog_author_info"><div class="blog_author_name"><div class="float_left margin_top_10"><div class="float_left"><a class="float_left social srss margin_0_5" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/reporting/david-kirby/news.xml" title="RSS"></a><a class="float_left social semail" href="http://www.blogger.com/users/login/"></a><div class="float_left" style="margin-left: 2px;"> <span style="font: bold 32px Georgia, Century, Times, serif;">The Autism-Vaccine Debate: Why It Won't Go Away</span> </div><div class="float_left" style="margin-left: 2px;">David Kirby-Author/Journalist</div><div class="float_left" style="margin-left: 2px;"> </div><div class="float_left" style="margin-left: 2px;"><!-- /sidebarHeader --><!-- entry_body_text --></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blog_content blog_design_a" id="entry_body"><div class="entry_body_text">I have been speaking to young parents in my neighborhood of Park Slope, Brooklyn lately about vaccines and autism, which science and the media have once again pronounced as completely debunked for what I believe is now the sixth or seventh time.<br />
These are highly educated, affluent and politically progressive people -- doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, writers and other successful professionals. And <a href="http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/PressReleases/tabid/446/mid/1506/articleId/674/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/Default.aspx" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">like half of the American population</span></a> in one poll, many of my neighbors (though certainly not all) say that there is, or may be, an association between autism and the current U.S. vaccine schedule.<br />
Although some Park Slope parents refuse to vaccinate their children at all - an unwise and dangerous choice in my opinion -- the vast majority makes sure their kids get immunized; although many do so on a schedule worked out with their pediatrician.<br />
In general, it is the most highly educated parents who are now eschewing the CDC schedule and vaccinating their children at a different pace. In one recent presentation of data, for example, mothers with masters degrees were significantly more likely to <a href="http://idsa.confex.com/idsa/2010/webprogram/Paper3284.html" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">forego the Hepatitis B vaccine birth dose</span></a> than mothers with an 8th grade education.<br />
<br />
Why do so many educated, successful parents still believe that the current vaccine schedule can hurt a small percentage of susceptible kids, and that some of those injuries might result in an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? Despite all of the population studies showing no link, high-profile court cases that went against parents, insistence of omniscience by health officials and the public mauling of Andrew Wakefield, I don't think that many people around here have changed their minds.<br />
That's because evidence of a vaccine-autism link did not come to them via a 12-year-old study published in a British medical journal, nor from Hollywood celebrities: Not very many had heard of Wakefield until recently.<br />
Some of these parents actually keep up with the science, including <a href="http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/02/new-medical-journal-review-vaccine-injury-is-a-documented-cause-of-autism.html" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">a new review of autism studies</span></a> in the <em>Journal of Immunotoxicology</em> which concludes: "Documented causes of autism include genetic mutations and/or deletions, viral infections, and encephalitis following vaccination." <br />
Some of their evidence also comes from life -- from friends, family and business associates whose children had an adverse vaccine reaction, got sick, stopped talking and never recovered. <br />
It's a fact that many children with ASD regressed following normal development just as they were receiving multiple vaccines at regular doctor visits. Health officials say the timing is entirely coincidental.<br />
<br />
Regression usually occurs between 12 and 24 months, though <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100216091009.htm" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">one study found</span></a> that some children show signs of autism as early as six months, but never before that age. <br />
By six months of age, <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/2010/downloads/educ/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs-508.pdf" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">most U.S. children have received about 18 inoculations</span></a> containing 24 vaccines against nine diseases. Over the next two years or so, they will receive another nine shots containing 14 vaccines against 12 diseases. <br />
So whether a child regresses at six months, or 18 months, the tragedy happens during a period of intensive vaccination. In many cases, parents report that the child had an abnormal reaction after being vaccinated (seizures, spiking-fevers, diarrhea, lethargy, high-pitched screaming and/or other symptoms). <br />
The temporal association might be coincidental, but for many autism parents, now tens of thousands in number (but certainly not all parents), there is nothing to dissuade them: they are certain that vaccines harmed their kids. I have spoken with thousands of them personally. Their stories of regression are hauntingly similar, describing a childhood catastrophe that was virtually unheard of when I was growing up. <br />
These parents, and grandparents, naturally share their stories with brothers, sisters, friends, coworkers <a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-nbcol-autism-vaccine-defense-broch20110203,0,2994092.column" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">and the media</span></a>, and before long half the population is questioning authorities who insist that there is zero chance of any association whatsoever.<br />
Every year, thousands of new parents go through the same ordeal, which is why belief in a link is probably going up, not down. Sadly, this will continue for years to come as more and more parents join the ranks of the devastated but convinced. There is nothing that anyone can do or say -- not you, not me, not any scientist on earth -- until definitive proof of all the true causes of autism is found. But that appears to be years, or decades away. <br />
Parents who say the vaccine-autism link has not been debunked are, like me, hardly "anti-vaccine." Why on earth would anyone not want to protect children from dangerous diseases? That is the epithet hurled upon most of them anyway. And it's what people will say about me as well, even though, as I said, I think parents should vaccinate their kids.<br />
What's curious is the selective use of the "anti-vaccine" accusation. Few people call Dr. Bernadine Healy, former head of the NIH, "anti-vaccine" for not ruling out a possible link, and calling for the study of the children who actually got sick. <br />
I have never heard it used against <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x331594913/Most-famous-face-of-autism-Dr-Temple-Grandin-shares-insights-with-The-Californian" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">Temple Grandin</span></a>, who said there should be "a closer evaluation" of vaccines and autism and echoed Dr. Healy by adding that, "These children should be carefully studied to determine when and why they lost language, and if factors such as vaccines and genetic predisposition may be causes."<br />
And I've never heard it used against the many Somali parents of children with autism living in Minneapolis who said they are <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/minneapolis-and-the-somal_b_143967.html" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">convinced that vaccines played a role</span></a>, and will be telling that to <a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/somali_autism_prevalence_investigation.php" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">CDC and NIH researchers</span></a> who are trying to find out why the rate among Somali children is reportedly about 1-in-28 in that city.<br />
Most parents in Park Slope are pro-vaccine, which is why they vaccinate their kids. They know the answer to the question, "Could vaccines be involved in some autism cases?" is not "Stop vaccinating all children now." <br />
Instead, like me, they believe that more children today are more susceptible to vaccine injury and other environmental triggers, thanks to toxins such as heavy metals, air pollution, pesticides and a universe of endocrine disruptors unleashed into the environment. Other risk factors might be at play, such as vitamin D deficiency, parental age, closely-spaced births, caesarian births or even the stress of everyday life. <br />
Such factors, both pre- and post-natal, might harm mitochondria, damage DNA and potentially result in immune and autoimmune disorders. These problems could then, in turn, increase the risk in some genetically susceptible children for early life problems like complex febrile seizures, myelin damage, and what has been called "mitochondrial meltdown." All three have been identified in medical journals and/or the U.S. federal Vaccine Court as plausible triggers of regressive autism. And all three can occur with, or without, vaccines. <br />
They should be studied more, in my opinion.<br />
The answer is not to stop vaccinating -- that would lead to widespread disease and suffering. The answer is to find out which children might be particularly susceptible to which vaccines, vaccine combinations or vaccine ingredients, and devise a schedule that is individually tuned to their specific conditions. This will build parental trust and strengthen, not weaken, the national vaccine program.<br />
Even <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2008-04-03/health/cdc.commentary_1_vaccine-schedule-infectious-diseases-world-autism-awareness-day?_s=PM:HEALTH" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">the CDC states</span></a>: <br />
<blockquote>Although some may call it a "one size fits all" approach, the recommended vaccine schedule is flexible, and it does account for instances when a child should not receive a recommended vaccine or when a recommended vaccine should be delayed. Those decisions, however, are best made in consultation with the child's doctor, and parents shouldn't be reluctant to have such discussions.</blockquote>Until science can tell parents which children are most genetically vulnerable to neuroimmune injuries, more people around the country will probably "go Park Slope," if you will, and devise their own selection of vaccines at their own chosen schedule.<br />
One hopes they proceed with great caution. For example, spreading out vaccines within the same series might confer less immunity, though we don't know because this has not been thoroughly studied. <br />
Some parents might also skip the triple live-virus MMR vaccine altogether, because the manufacturer refuses to offer separate measels, mumps and rubella shots. Offering this simple choice alone might boost immunization rates by a couple of percentage points, so why not do it?<br />
I have never agreed with the "anti-vaccine" movement, whose size and influence has been somewhat overblown by the media. Vaccination rates remain high. A <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/02/health-officials-eye-whooping-cough-vaccine-possib/" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">recent wave of whooping cough</span></a> in California occurred largely among vaccinated individuals. In fact, unvaccinated adults may have played a role: Only 1-in-10 adults in San Diego are believed to have received a pertussis booster shot, for example. Nobody is calling the other 90 percent dangerous "anti-vaxers," even if they may have helped create an outbreak that killed several children.<br />
<br />
<strong>Why So Much Autism?</strong><br />
There is clearly no single cause of autism, and we are not going to find answers looking only at genes, or for that matter, only at thimerosal or MMR. But there remain many reasons why some parents, doctors, scientists and people with autism say a vaccine connection cannot be ruled out, at least in some cases. <br />
My motive has never been to "blame vaccines." I have no personal reason whatsoever to oppose them, and little to gain -- believe me. What I have been trying to do is find out why so many more kids today are so sick. <br />
I do not belive that better diagnosis and wider awareness can explain away a tidal wave of suffering. Such dinosaur mentality never helped a single child, and most credible scientists are abandoning it.<br />
"It's time to start looking for the environmental culprits responsible for the remarkable increase in the rate of autism in California," <a href="http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/autism-and-environment" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto</span></a>, an epidemiology professor at the University of California, Davis MIND Institute, has said. Those culprits, she said, might lie "in the microbial world and in the chemical world."<br />
Another good example is Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D, current Director of the NIH. "Recent increases in chronic diseases (like) autism cannot be due to major shifts in the human gene pool. They must be due to changes in the environment" and other factors, <a href="http://www.genome.gov/18016846" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">he told Congress in 2006</span></a>. Collins called for more research into "environmental toxins, dietary intake and physical activity," in order to "determine an individual's biological response to those influences." <br />
Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Chair of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, concurred with his boss, Dr. Collins, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/rising-autism-numbers_b_397978.html" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">when he told me</span></a>, "There is no question that there has got to be an environmental component here," because "this is not something that can be explained away by methodology, by diagnosis." <br />
In my opinion, many children with autism are toxic. Some thing or things happened to make them sick. Unfortunately, our world has become a hazardous juggernaut through which increasingly fewer infants seem to emerge unscathed. We need to identify what is blocking their way, and fix it. <br />
I know that many people will say the vaccine issue has been thoroughly investigated and debunked. I honestly wish that were the case, but it simply is not true. All of the "vaccine-autism" studies you hear about investigated just one childhood vaccine out of 14 (MMR), or one vaccine ingredient out of dozens (thimerosal). That is like announcing that air pollution does not cause lung cancer because you looked at carbon monoxide, alone, and hydrogen sulfide, alone, and found no link.<br />
Moreover, many of the large epidemiological studies that purport to show no association between MMR or thimerosal and autism were conducted by people with vested interests -- financial or professional -- in defending vaccines and vaccine programs. Much worse than that, the vast majority of these studies were marked by methodological flaws that limit their usefulness and legitimacy. A thorough point-by-point rebuttal of the epidemiology will soon be published by the advocacy group SafeMinds.<br />
What we do know is that reported autism rates began to explode right around the 1987-88 birth cohorts in the United States and a few other western countries, <a href="http://www.all.org/pdf/McDonaldPaul2010.pdf" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">according to an EPA study</span></a>.<br />
"The greatest increase in ASD prevalence occurred in cohorts born between 1987 and 1992 across the United States," the EPA study concluded. Rates did not begin to increase in developing countries until a number of years later.<br />
<a href="http://www.thoughtfulhouse.org/tech-labs/disabilities/autism.php" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">U.S. special education data</span></a> found the exact same thing: ASD among students nearly tripled between the 1988 cohort (5-per-10,000) and the 1990 cohort (14.3-per-10,000) and then tripled again by the 1992 cohort (42.1-per-10,000). After that, the rate of increase slowed down significantly. Some of this increase is clearly due to an expansion of the ASD definition, but not all of it.<br />
<br />
That should give scientists a lot to work with. If we believe the head of the NIH, then autism might be the result of "environmental toxins" interacting with individual genes. If we believe EPA scientists and Department of Education data, ASD rates boomed between the 1988 and 1992 birth cohorts, and increased at a much slower pace after that.<br />
It seems reasonable to suspect, then, that average U.S. exposures to the environmental toxin(s) in question increased around 1988 (though they certainly were introduced before that) and continued to rise rapidly until at least 1992, when they began to level off. These exposures would have to have increased in developing countries several years later.<br />
That seems like it would narrow the list down considerably. Because there is no one cause of autism, we need to look at <em>all</em> possible exposures and other environmental factors that might have increased dramatically during those years, including plastics, flame retardants, jet fuel, pesticides, viruses and retroviruses, parental age and, yes, the vaccine program.<br />
For example, the HiB vaccine series was introduced in 1988, a fourth vaccine was added to the DTaP series around 1990, and the HepB series was introduced in 1991, with several years of increased uptake after that before it reached its current high levels. These vaccines have not been studied in direct relation to an ASD risk, except for one HepB paper that found an association (see below).<br />
We also know that autism rates are different in different populations. The latest CDC figures available (from the 1998 birth cohort) show an overall U.S. rate of 91-per-10,000 children (1-in-110), and nearly 2 percent of all boys. <a href="http://www.acttodayformilitaryfamilies.org/" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">Among U.S. military families</span></a>, however, the rate is reportedly 25 percent higher, at 114-per-10,000 (1-in-88) and among Somali immigrants in Minnesota, it could be as high as 357-per-10,000).<br />
Up in Canada, things are different altogether. <a href="http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/cdic-mcc/30-4/pdf/Vol30n4_Article02-eng.pdf" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">In Alberta</span></a>, the reported rate is, at the very most, 52-per-10,000, which is on par with the rest of Canada, except for Montreal, where the reported rate is 25 percent higher, at 65-per-10,000. The only exception is among Aboriginal (Native American) children in Alberta, whose reported rate was a very low 23-per-10,000. The rate among Aboriginal children in other Canadian provinces is also reportedly low. <br />
Inadequate access to health care and diagnosis, a rural lifestyle and/or genetic differences might explain the apparent lower risk, the authors said, noting a somewhat similar trend among Aboriginal children in Australia, "and pointing to apparent differences in risk of ASD among Aboriginal people living in industrialized countries compared to the rest of the population." <br />
Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/06/06/autism-immigrants.html" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">children of immigrant parents in Montreal</span></a> seem to have a much higher ASD rate than average. <br />
Exposure to environmental factors most likely not only increased between 1988 and 1992, it may have been most impactful among children of Somali immigrants, followed by U.S. children of military personnel, followed by other U.S. children, followed by children of immigrants to Canada, followed by non-Indian Canadian-born children and (possibly) followed by Aboriginal children in Canada. <br />
Of course, these exposures would have to be studied in the context of genetic make-up, which might vary significantly among some of these populations and thus affect their response to environmental triggers. There are probably differences in the way children are diagnosed and documented in different regions, as well, due to cultutral and other factors.<br />
On the other hand, if you look at vaccination rates, you find that Canadian Aboriginal children <a href="http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/activit/strateg/fnih-spni-eng.php" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">lag behind other Canadians</span></a> by about 20 percent, and "suffered from higher rates of vaccine-preventable diseases," as a result, according to Health Canada. <br />
Meanwhile, unlike U.S. children, most Canadian kids do not receive the three-dose Hepatitis B vaccine beginning at birth, except for children of immigrants, who are concentrated in large cities like Montreal. One paper in the <em>Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health </em>suggested that <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058170" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">boys who received the HepB vaccine </span></a>beginning at birth were three times more likely to develop an ASD than boys who did not. <br />
In the second half of this two-part series, I will look at some of the exciting new autism science that has been developed lately, especially around seizure disorders, mitochondrial dysfunction and the destruction of myelin -- the fatty acid coating that insulates and protects the brain and the rest of the central nervous system.<br />
As I mentioned above, complex seizures, demyelinating disorders and mitochondrial "meltdowns" have all been implicated in autistic regression. All three can happen in nature without vaccines being involved. In fact, all three can be triggered by childhood illnesses that are prevented by vaccines.<br />
In that sense, it's likely that some children have avoided autistic regression precisely because of their immunizations. On the other hand, if vaccines generally prevented ASD, rates would have gone way down since 1988, and not in the opposite direction. <br />
A good example is ADEM, or acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, in which the brain's myelin sheath is severely damaged, usually only temporarily. The U.S. Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), better known as "Vaccine Court," has ruled that HepB, MMR and other vaccines can result in ADEM and other demyelinating disorders. In one case, <a href="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/BANKS_CASE.pdf" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">Bailey Banks</span></a>, the VICP found that MMR-induced ADEM resulted in Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, which is an ASD. <br />
In <a href="http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/jerry-joseph-tufo-and-unmi-tufo-parents-and-next-guardians-their-minor-son-jerry-joseph-tufo-jr-v-se" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">another successful VICP case</span></a>, the special master found that the MMR vaccine had contributed to ADEM, as well as GI distress. It was a ruling that eloquently described the paradox of vaccines that can cause the same disorders as the viral infections they were designed to prevent. <br />
"What is striking to the court is that the most common cause of ADEM is the measles virus, and the vaccine at issue is a live (though attenuated) measles virus vaccine," the judge wrote. "That the virus is attenuated in the vaccine does not make it less likely than the natural or wild virus to be the cause of ADEM."<br />
ADEM cases have fallen to one-third of their prior number because of measles vaccination, the ruling noted. But even the government's expert witness defending the MMR "admitted it is biologically plausible that measles vaccine causes ADEM."<br />
Wild measles virus can cause ADEM in 1-in-1,000 children, a very powerful argument for immunization. On the other hand, a small fraction of children might be at risk for ADEM from the MMR vaccine itself, (the special master said the fact that the vaccine measels virus was attenuated made this no less likely, though I am unaware of any MMR-ADEM studies), and that particular vaccine injury might lead to an ASD.<br />
In other cases, such as children with mitochondrial dysfunction, we may want to give some vaccines as early as possible in order to prevent the type of fever that can send these children into autistic regression (hardly the rant of a dangerous anti-vaxer). On the other hand, in one study, 12 out of 17 children with ASD and mitochondrial disease regressed after a fever greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit. In 4 of those 12 cases (33 percent), <a href="http://blog.autismspeaks.org/2010/03/11/fever-regression/" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">the fever occurred after routine vaccination</span></a>.<br />
The answer in such cases may be to vaccinate earlier, but less intensively. Douglas C. Wallace, Ph.D, head of the Center of Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told the National Vaccine Advisory Committee that, when it comes to mitochondrial disorders, "We advocate spreading vaccines out as much as possible. Each time you vaccinate, you're creating a challenge for the system, and if a child has an impaired system, that could in fact trigger further clinical problems."<br />
<br />
Finally, we are going to be hearing a good deal more about vaccines, seizure disorders, and autism as a "residual sequela" of the injury. Maybe vaccines can't cause autism, as the government says, but they can cause complex seizures. <br />
And complex seizures, "during early postnatal development may alter synaptic plasticity and contribute to learning and behavioral disorders" in certain types of children, said <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/Molecula.pdf" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">one recent study</span></a>. "Early life seizures may produce a variety of cellular and molecular changes in hippocampus that may contribute to the enhanced risk of IDDs and ASDs in patients with early life seizures and epilepsy."<br />
That study did not link vaccine-induced complex seizures to residual sequelae. But the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has many cases of normally developing children who developed seizure disorders and "encephalopathy" (brain disease) following vaccination. <br />
"This pattern is seen frequently in vaccine cases. An otherwise healthy petitioner receives a vaccination, the vaccine causes a fever, which in turn causes or triggers a complex febrile seizure," <a href="http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/Golkiewicz.Mersburgh.pdf" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #40577f;">one VICP special master wrote</span></a> in ruling that the DTaP vaccine "was the legal cause of (the child's) seizure disorder and developmental delay."<br />
Some children who suffer from vaccine-induced complex seizures go on to suffer from "developmental delay," "behavioral problems," "affective disorders," "mild mental retardation" and other residual sequelae, VICP records show. Some of them also develop an ASD, and some now get government funds to pay for things such as applied behavioral analysis (ABA), a treatment used mostly for ASD.<br />
Either way, the difference between a child with a seizure disorder, encephalopathy, developmental delay and behavioral problems, and a child with autism spectrum disorder, is hardly vast. Given that vaccines can sometimes cause injuries that lead to the former, why is it so outrageous -- why is it so "anti-vaccine" -- to ask if they can lead to the latter?<br />
As one special master wrote: "It is exceedingly reasonable to conclude that where the vaccine is associated with fever and seizure and the seizure is of a complex nature, in the absence of proof of an alternative cause, it is the vaccine that is responsible for a subsequent epilepsy <em>and residual sequelae</em>" (Italics added).<br />
Developmental delays including ASD are residual sequelae of some vaccine-induced adverse events, the VICP has determined. What proportion of ASD cases resulted from a vaccine injury? We may never know. <br />
The CDC estimates that there are about 760,000 Americans under 21 with an ASD. Even if just 1 percent of those cases was linked to vaccines (though I believe it is higher), that would mean 7,600 young Americans with a vaccine-associated ASD. <br />
In that case, their parents would be neither anti-vaccine nor lunatic fringe. They would be right.<br />
<em>This is part one of a two-part series.</em></div></div></div></div>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-23909465249873247122011-04-15T23:25:00.000-05:002011-04-25T21:04:13.527-05:00Angry, and a little sadIt is frusterating to have to deal with school physicals, and doctors who insist that catching KC up on his vaccines will be the right thing to do. Its what I should do...if I want to protect my son. Or so I am told.. But wait, I have let you guys help me "protect" my son before...and look where it got me! I can't take any more of that kind of help. We are full to the brim with problems as it is. <br />
<br />
This may be right for some people, but not for me. Not for my son. I don't understand why people would want me to do something to my son if I know that something will negatively affect his development. The very development we so carefully nurture and mold each day. It seems a bit backwards to me, that someone wants to take that away. And then I am the crazy one for not wanting to do it! Sorry, we see things differently, but its my son at the end of your needle. Stay the fuck awaw.<br />
<br />
I don't disrespect people who vaccinate. It might be the right thing for you and your child. But its not right for me and mine. And thats ok. For most of us that is. Its ok to disagree, and to think different things are right for different children. Often times they are. Just please don't think I am crazy. I am crazy only in the sense that I am crazy about KC. <br />
<br />
The kind of crazy, in fact, that leads me to defend my position to want to keep him as safe as possible. Not too crazy though...I only love him more than any human being could love another human being. Thats it : )KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-78789413279362246842011-04-15T22:29:00.001-05:002011-04-25T21:01:24.344-05:00How do YOU spell Autism?<span style="color: #878f56; font-size: small;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><br />
</strong> </div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><u><strong>How to spell Autism </strong></u></div></div><br />
A<br />
<br />
I have to say the first emotion I felt was Anger, I was angry that this<br />
had happened to me, I had been so careful,<br />
I made an appointment with my doctor, when I was barely a month along,<br />
I took good care of myself, I ate well,<br />
and didn't abuse my body with drugs or alcohol, or smoking.<br />
I felt such rage at first, this was not fair,<br />
some women neglected themselves, and didn't care for the child inside,<br />
and their child was perfect. Why not mine?<br />
<br />
<strong>U</strong><br />
<br />
Unbelief..... denial...........you name it, I felt it. This was not<br />
happening to me, I would wake up in the night, and it would hit me, my<br />
child has autism, and then I would plug my ears, trying to stop the<br />
voices in my head, I would bury my head in the pillow, refusing to<br />
believe this was happening to us. It took me a long time to let it sink<br />
in, and to this day, I sometimes forget, and then the realization hits<br />
me, and it knocks me to my knees again. It takes all my strength to get<br />
up. But I do, because I have to, I have to be there for my child.<br />
<br />
<strong>T</strong><br />
<br />
Of course the tears, tears of rage, panic, frustration. Gut wrenching<br />
tears in the middle of the night, somehow it always seems worse in the<br />
night. The house is quiet at last, and there is time to think, to<br />
ponder, to pray. Tears though are such a relief, without their outlet, I<br />
would have gone crazy. But, I have held them back so many times, in a<br />
store when someone makes a cruel remark,<br />
or a child who approaches mine, then backs off with that 'look' on his face.<br />
I refuse to cry then, because I still have my pride, and it although it<br />
is tattered, I cling to it like a security blanket.<br />
<br />
<strong>I</strong><br />
<br />
Isolation, oh yes, the isolation. Friends seemed to disappear into thin<br />
air, when they found out.<br />
Sometimes I wanted to scream "It's not catching, " but they wouldn't hear<br />
me, they were too busy keeping their child away from mine. The phone<br />
stopped ringing too, and people would turn away at Church, avert their<br />
eyes when my child had a tantrum. The isolation is the hardest<br />
thing.......... being alone hurts. At the time in my life when I needed<br />
friends and family the most, the pain of them looking the other way, was<br />
indescribable. But I have found friends, people who know the path I<br />
take, for it is their journey too. For this blessing I am so grateful.<br />
These are the true friends, the ones who are there for me, when life is<br />
unbearable.<br />
<br />
<strong>S</strong><br />
<br />
Sadness and Solace, I have felt the sadness of knowing my child will not<br />
be like other children, I have wept many tears for him. I have spent my<br />
waking hours, and sleepless nights worrying about his future, who will<br />
care for him, what kind of adult will he be? Will someone be there for<br />
him, when I am gone? There is such pain in not knowing, there is nothing<br />
so hard for a parent, than realizing that one day, you will not be there<br />
to take care of your child. And knowing that this child will always need<br />
your care. But there is Solace too, and I have felt this peace,<br />
I have learned to accept this Autism, I cannot erase it,<br />
nor will I embrace it. But I have come to a feeling of peace, and I go on.<br />
<br />
<strong>M</strong><br />
<br />
Mercy and Magic, Have mercy on me, It's so hard to raise a child when<br />
others look on, and instead of holding out a hand to help, they stand in<br />
judgment. Don't judge me, when my child acts out, when he screams<br />
because something has changed in his environment, he doesn't do it<br />
purposefully, he is only reacting to his feelings. I am a good mother, I<br />
love my child like you love yours, I want the best for him, yet I cannot<br />
give in to him. He looks to me and I must teach him,<br />
just as you teach your child. I may do it differently,<br />
because my child is different. He learns in his own way,<br />
and I have to teach him in a way that to others may seem odd, or unusual.<br />
<br />
Magic? Oh yes, there is magic. I have seen my child blossom, I have<br />
seen him learn, I have watched his wonder, and rejoiced in his small<br />
steps. His smile is magic, and his heart is gold.<br />
I did not choose this journey, but somehow it is mine, and I must see the<br />
roses, as I walk upon the rocky pathway. I did not ask for this, but it<br />
was given to me, and I must be strong enough to bear it. If I cannot,<br />
then I am lost, if I give up, who will take my place?<br />
There is enough joy, if I look for it....... it will find me. -Unknown<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEM0nOzOxqNlbR1M5AMPTg6M_JhoVeEBXWzmCjhYsFnHDOH8U0VuL48A3AgaaBosJKxT5dHQfaulZ0KsMNpcaa0VM-RoxLyKTF9ZUg7HzQeWeF2_EuvTI9y6q6p8-DXpd2JUY13APZdTF/s1600/Easter+bunny+ears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEM0nOzOxqNlbR1M5AMPTg6M_JhoVeEBXWzmCjhYsFnHDOH8U0VuL48A3AgaaBosJKxT5dHQfaulZ0KsMNpcaa0VM-RoxLyKTF9ZUg7HzQeWeF2_EuvTI9y6q6p8-DXpd2JUY13APZdTF/s320/Easter+bunny+ears.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></span>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-61802630948556528322011-04-14T19:53:00.000-05:002011-04-14T19:53:58.788-05:00Is it too late?I have spent so much time getting on and off the proverbial blogger toilet, that I hardly know if it is worth it anymore. But so often, I look at what others post and think.."Hey. I felt that way too!" So why not. So my blog is a revolving door...one second I am here, the next I abandon ship. I am going to try not to do that again. I posted a copy of a video I recently put together. Check it out if you like. I will write something else soon.<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
KarenKC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-72051882604765298312011-04-14T19:50:00.001-05:002011-04-25T21:04:13.527-05:00A Beautiful Tragedy at OneTrueMedia.com<div><embed src="http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_view_player?p=d08058ebe2b53c3e00df58" quality="high" scale="noscale" width="600" height="526" wmode="transparent" name="FLVPlayer" salign="LT" flashvars="&p=d08058ebe2b53c3e00df58&skin_id=601&host=http://www.onetruemedia.com" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div style="margin:0px;font:12px/13px verdana,arial,sans-serif;line-height:20px;padding-bottom:15px;width:600px;text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.onetruemedia.com/landing?&utm_source=emplay&utm_medium=txt2" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none;">Photo and video editing at <span style="text-decoration:underline;">www.OneTrueMedia.com</span></a></div></div>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-23933671468858520122009-12-01T21:47:00.002-06:002009-12-01T21:49:10.645-06:00Vaccine Rap...Haha...this video is funny as hell! <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiXmw5a9kiM&feature=player_embedded"><span style="color: blue;">Don't Inject Me</span></a><br />
<br />
The only part I didn't think was funny was the part where he talks about how when you realize what you've done, it's too late. I realized that I allowed my son to be injected with something that due to my family history, he never should have had. But I realized too late and the damage was done. Seems like too many people have to learn the hard way...KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-89269487632484868032009-11-08T19:24:00.000-06:002011-04-25T21:01:24.345-05:00The Caringbridge Update...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b1e20; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Below is the update that my Mom wrote for KC's caringbridge page.<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">We are gearing up to walk through the fire yet again with Mr. KC :(</span></span><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">He has been having some troubles for the last month or so and they continue to get worse in spite of Mommy's best efforts to slay the dragon that keeps bothering her boy.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">Among the current issues are sleeplessness, extreme mood swings, biting, hitting and scratching himself and Mommy, stuttering, talking gibberish and then getting agitated that Mommy doesn't understand, lots of ear flapping and hitting himself in the head, irrational periods lasting from 5 to 30 minutes during which he needs to be restrained to keep him from hurting himself or the closest person to him, rigidness that is getting more consistent even to include a requirement that we enter in the same door we exited. Oh, and some seizing too! The list goes on but these are currently the major issues.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">Poor KC and POOR Mommy! The fear surrounding what could be wrong this time and what uncovering what the problem is will entail, is overwhelming to us all. Frustration abounds, tears are flowing, and worrying is constant. </span></span><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">Please pray that the wonderful doctors at the U of C will swiftly find out what the problem is and how to best solve it so our little boy can enjoy his life more consistently again. </span></span></span>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-82586289081845538342009-11-07T18:05:00.000-06:002011-04-25T20:51:01.951-05:00I must have been a beautiful baby...; )<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-Lwkgpjzs30VG-Iz_fC2Vf3g580zkKUdKekQhG9ClB2cGMTAaeeHtrnYzZcmQSkf3x2fJzNQxoifEbtLMeUwiLgvtqVfldEtZxuRQy4AITehfUX3dFPNwNjD0veczYLUyfoIgh3EG2h4/s1600-h/Karen+and+baby+Karen" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-Lwkgpjzs30VG-Iz_fC2Vf3g580zkKUdKekQhG9ClB2cGMTAaeeHtrnYzZcmQSkf3x2fJzNQxoifEbtLMeUwiLgvtqVfldEtZxuRQy4AITehfUX3dFPNwNjD0veczYLUyfoIgh3EG2h4/s320/Karen+and+baby+Karen" /></a><br />
</div>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-65558372291222988902009-09-24T18:43:00.002-05:002011-04-25T20:58:58.787-05:00Danielle's words....worth a read.Once upon a time...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In a land far away...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Where seizures were in remission and life was not so draining. There lived a mommy with fight in her heart. This mommy...together with her family...made a very special journey. At the request of a very important woman...who also hosts the heart of an advocate. That was how it came to be that the mommy testified on Capitol Hill against the tyrant Questcor...and their criminal abuse of the Orphan Drug Act. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
See, a few months prior to the mommy's son being ensnared by the Seizure Monster...Questcor amplified the price of their drug. The front line drug. The drug indicated in the rescuing of her infant son from the Beast. Acthar gel. Over the course of a handful of days...Acthar's price point was increased from approximately $1200 a vial to $25,000 a vial. And it did not halt there. Today it can cost upwards of 30k per 5 ml vial. Most infants require a course of at least 4 vials. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Suddenly the mommy...seizure saturated son in her arms...was thrust fully into the war that rages between hospitals...insurance companies...drug corporations...and families holding broken children. Her insurance company initially denied coverage. The saga was intense for nearly a week as her son's neurologist went to battle beside her...writing scathing letters on behalf of the seizing baby boy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In the end...they won that battle. And her son received treatment. Which helped for a time. But despite a price tag which could buy a decent family home even here in New England...Acthar is not a cure. Although it is one of the very very slim "chances" our babies of Infantile Spasms have to escape the Monster. If even for a time. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Which the mommy's son did. He was Seizure Free for a much too short spell. But the rage against the price-gouging tyrant did not lessen after the battle was won. It intensified. Posts were written. A few press corp attempted to tip the scales of right versus wrong. Capital Hill testimonies before Joint Economic Committees were passionately delivered. Interviews for books and even prominent televised news programs were given...although sadly most of those fell by the way side. Because, I suppose, she had no relation to Hollywood. But the mommy...whose advocate blood runs deep...continued to work together with other parents to increase awareness. To buck the system. To be the squeaky wheel and be heard.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But then on a different devastating day the seizure free time ran out. And day to day life became so altogether draining that the mommy had no energy left for advocating. It was all used up caring for her son. Who although injected with over a quarter of a million dollars worth of Acthar was not cured. But rather assaulted by 100s of seizures daily yet again. Because although I have shared this narrative in the framework of a fairy tale. It is anything but. And two weeks from this very day my beautiful little boy will be lying in a hospital bed. Wires protruding from his cranium. Connected to the Beast inside his skull. While we anxiously wait for the dawn of the following day. When doctors will preform what is closest to a real cure for seizures that we have at this time in history. Radical brain surgery. The removal of most of my little boy's left hemisphere. And pray to God...the Seizure Monster with it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Quite possibly for a cost less than that of the Acthar gel with which he was injected. And proved not to be a cure. Though it may cost the same. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
How ironic that Questcor...along with the Child Neurology Foundation...would be hosting an Infantile Spasms Awareness Week during the very month that Trevor (whose mommy once testified before the JEC against the tyrant Questcor) will be wheeled into a surgical room. Where the Seizure Monster their drug could not cure will be removed at last. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Also ironic that Don Bailey, CEO Questcor, with whom I have shared dialogue via email a time or two would not make me "aware" of their attempt at increasing awareness. Nor any other advocate parents with whom I am connected. In fact, I know of at least one parent who contacted Questcor in hopes of gaining an agenda for when this proposed awareness would be taking place...only to be directed to the Child Neurology Foundation. Who really had no clear answer. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Speaking of which...while monitoring my sitemeter I noticed someone from CNF spent hours combing my site. My silly hopeful heart. She actually entertained the thought that I'd shortly receive an email. And yet there has been no olive branch offered from that direction either. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Which leaves me wondering why? <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Why would you not reach out to the parents whom you are cognizant have a passionate desire to increase awareness? <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it is not at all about increasing awareness? And I have no doubt my suggestion would not be remotely appreciated. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I certainly agree with Marissa's Dad that increasing awareness would best happen among those not already intimate with the disease. The pediatricians for instance. The educators who think every seizure is a grand mal. And such. Yet it is our understanding that this so-called IS Awareness Week will take place amongst neurologists. Whom I dare-say should have a solid level of awareness already. Which no doubt will be divulged over platters of fruit and cheese. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Which brings me to my own suggestion? <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If Questcor (who makes very ambitious claims regarding the efficacy of their Acthar gel) truly stands behind their drug as a cure? If they truly boast a deep seeded desire to provide awareness for the families suffering this very rare and unknown disease. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think an ingenious way to create a buzz would be to do something truly dramatic. Truly generous. Truly grounded in the belief that their drug is more than effective...but rather a cure...80% of the time. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I submit to you...short of decreasing the cost of their drug to bring it more in-line with other rare disease treatments...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Why not offer a reimbursement program to those who trial their drug and find it not to be a cure after all?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If Acthar fails - Questcor will reimburse <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It's not a super sexy slogan. May I remind you that my creative energy levels are running on fumes as I prepare for my son to endure radical brain surgery. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Call me crazy, but I do believe that would generate some awareness.KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-14450740006129527462009-09-23T20:39:00.002-05:002011-04-25T20:58:58.788-05:00Questcor is at it again....This message below is worth a read....<br />
<br />
<br />
From: Marissa's Bunny<br />
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 3:26 PM<br />
To: Ken Lilly<br />
Subject: The Child Neurological Society, Questcor, and Infantile Spasms Awareness Week<br />
<br />
Greetings, fellow infantile spasms parents! You may or may not have heard of me or Marissa, but we're in the same boat as all of you. Questcor and the Child Neurological Society are teaming up for an Infantile Spasms awareness week, but it seems to be a very focused event, and is only taking place at the annual CNS convention. This doesn't seem quite right to me. Following is the text that's being posted on Marissa's Bunny today discussing this, and I'd very much like it if you could either link to my blog with the post, or enter the text on your site as well with attribution to Marissa's Bunny.<br />
<br />
If you'd rather do neither, that's fine too- but please address your blog reading public about this. Questcor has taken enough of our money and uses our children as shining examples of how their business process helps us, and disregards the fact that our insurance companies have paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars collectively. They speak a good game of promoting awareness, but I still have yet to see anything tangible, and buying a buffet table at a neurology convention and calling it "awareness" seems hollow to me.<br />
<br />
It's hard to get a group of anybody to do anything in conjunction. Maybe this time, if we all speak out at once, we can get something tangible to happen. Please send this email to any other IS bloggers you may know. If awareness is what they want, then awareness is what they will get.<br />
<br />
-Mike<br />
Marissa's DadKC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-6708574605966982972009-08-22T12:29:00.002-05:002011-04-25T21:04:13.528-05:00Do You Know Jenny?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvQePQK6qMkd7UoQdl23s7GMGpzcLlVBwaVwnorajVihQyLT93jmzs-uu-9t2OnRUU_4lQBESXUSildd3aQrRWi03vbYZx_f4lEwoCZjVhRBV71vs_FaH7omb18D7VbvDuEblCOLP8oJG/s1600-h/P1120926.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvQePQK6qMkd7UoQdl23s7GMGpzcLlVBwaVwnorajVihQyLT93jmzs-uu-9t2OnRUU_4lQBESXUSildd3aQrRWi03vbYZx_f4lEwoCZjVhRBV71vs_FaH7omb18D7VbvDuEblCOLP8oJG/s400/P1120926.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372841826792104866" /></a><br />By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.<br /><br />If you had a problem with alcohol in the late 1960s or 1970s you might be quietly approached by someone who said they were "a friend of Bill W." Bill Wilson was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous and those who had been through his program identified themselves as “a friend of Bill W.”<br /><br />To be a friend of Bill W. meant you understood certain principles, such as asking forgiveness of the people you’d harmed, and turning your life over to a higher power. One of my good friends became a “friend of Bill W.” before I met him and remains one of the finest people I know. He sometimes talks about how much AA means to him and how he has gone onto sponsor other people to become "a friend of Bill W.” But not a lot. Being "a friend of Bill W.” also means being humble, regardless of the number of people you may have helped.<br /><br />The other day I joined a gym. I haven’t belonged to a gym for years, but for me it’s the best way to exercise. I know others can be diligent and throw their jogging shoes on and run out the door, but that just isn’t me. I need a gym.<br /><br />And since it had been more than a decade since I’d lifted a weight I paid for a couple sessions with a trainer. The beefy trainer in his early twenties seemed as if he lived a life light years away from my concerns. In the midst of setting up a work-out routine he asked me about my hobbies, and I mentioned that I wrote for a web-newspaper on autism because I have a daughter with the disorder.<br /><br />“Do you know Jenny McCarthy?” he quickly asked.<br /><br />I told him I hadn’t actually had the pleasure of meeting her, but she also occasionally wrote for Age of Autism, in addition to her books and television appearances. Then I asked how he knew about her.<br /><br />He went onto explain he had several cousins with autism and their parents were avid followers of Jenny. And it struck me then that Jenny McCarthy has become our common touchstone, just as Bill W. was to a generation of people struggling with addiction problems. Like alcoholics struggling to recover in the 1960s and 1970s we're still something of an underground movement, but Jenny is our code word.<br /><br />I didn’t have to explain about the role of vaccines in autism, the raging debates, the “gene” studies which reveal less the more you examine them, and how we believe medical authorities are concealing vast amounts of information like the Vaccine Safety Database. My trainer knew. He knew Jenny.<br /><br />And maybe that's been Jenny’s greatest contribution. You need only become familiar with her writings and public appearances to be in on the conversation. She has done so much of the education for us. We just need to continue that conversation.<br /><br />When I go back I'm sure I'll have more conversations with my trainer about his cousins with autism and ways to possibly help them. I'd been looking for something of a break in going to the gym, but it doesn't seem like that's my destiny. The demands of the epidemic intrude even as I'm struggling to fit into a pair of size 34 jeans. And in the helping tradition of Bill W. it's the only response I could give.<br /><br />In the future maybe the question won’t be “Do you know Jenny McCarthy?”, but are you "a friend of Jenny?”KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-5884297316396941972009-08-18T12:34:00.006-05:002011-04-25T21:04:13.528-05:00Is there blood on your hands?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix45WuOmmkZlBH5sgKbLByzNSL4xtD_dUjl9gNQOT0Tn06IiZ8apZ84BU4hDGDULtbr94AhxSKVe8aBqwxDzLY4SxzSnw_5ZYRtWmoqLzSVZ-Hpgi5k7byhMthGkK4dgVShA7LhswhTWUd/s1600-h/P1120810.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix45WuOmmkZlBH5sgKbLByzNSL4xtD_dUjl9gNQOT0Tn06IiZ8apZ84BU4hDGDULtbr94AhxSKVe8aBqwxDzLY4SxzSnw_5ZYRtWmoqLzSVZ-Hpgi5k7byhMthGkK4dgVShA7LhswhTWUd/s400/P1120810.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371373831248832098" /></a><br />Sorry I haven't posted in a while. <br /><br />I don't know why....<br /><br />No energy for the fight maybe? That's a cop-out and I know it, but it is what it is. I lost it somewhere between therapy sessions, and follow up EEG's, and trips to Detroit, and meetings with specialists. <br /><br />I'm struggling to get it back...because I need it. <br /><br />I have six months worth of excitement, progress, fear and heartache inside, all bottled up. So I'm workin on it. I updated some things, such as my profile. It's a start anyway.<br /><br />In the mean time, check out this post from a fellow blogger...<br /><br />either copy and paste below OR just click on my title "Is there blood on your hands?"<br /><br />http://crystaldavidsonengler.blogspot.com/2009/08/1-in-100-when-will-you-listen.html<br /><br />Love the message...and the graphics! <br /><br />For now...<br /><br />KarenKC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-69628602639091783432009-01-27T09:02:00.001-06:002011-04-25T21:04:13.529-05:00Autism research blocked...PRESS RELEASE<br />January 16, 2009<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Federal Members Of Advisory Committee Block Vaccine-Autism Research, Defy Wishes Of Its Own Scientists, Autism Community, and Congress<br />SafeMinds Withdraws Support for Autism Research Strategic Plan, Asks Daschle to Investigate. <br />JANUARY 16, 2009 - In a highly unusual departure from procedure, government representatives to the Federal Interagency Autism Advisory Committee (IACC) voted this week against conducting studies on vaccine-autism research despite approval of the same studies at their prior meeting. The research was supported by numerous autism organizations and requested by IACC's scientific work groups and Congress. The maneuver to re-vote on the vaccine-autism studies was initiated by the IACC's representative from the CDC and pushed through by the IACC Chair, Dr. Tom Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health of NIH.<br /><br />Unlike most Federal advisory committees, the IACC is dominated by government representatives occupying 12 of the 18 seats. Of the 6 public members, 5 voted to retain the vaccine research at the meeting. The lone dissenting public member resigned from her organization, Autism Speaks, the night before the meeting. Autism Speaks has issued a statement objecting to her vote. <br /><br />The CDC, part of HHS along with NIH, has been criticized by parents citing failure to uphold vaccine safety. In a surprising moment of candor, Dr. Insel cited HHS conflicts of interests on vaccine-autism research due to the over 5,000 autism lawsuits pending against HHS. His comment supports the autism community's contention that those in charge of promoting vaccine use while assuring safety are fundamentally conflicted and should not investigate themselves.<br /><br />IACC Member and SafeMinds Vice-President Lyn Redwood stated, "Revisiting objectives already approved did not appear on the meeting's agenda." She added, "Advocacy groups and legislators have been marginalized in this process." <br /><br />Senators Enzi, Dodd, Kennedy and Santorum, as well as Representatives Barton and Smith made statements which are part of the Combating Autism Act of 2006 legislative history that research on vaccines and their components and autism should be implemented by the IACC.<br /><br />Due to the IACC's actions, SafeMinds has withdrawn its support of the IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Research and requests that incoming HHS Secretary Daschle investigate the IACC's action and reconstitute the committee, including removal of NIMH as its lead agency. <br /><br />SafeMinds is a private nonprofit organization that investigates and raises awareness of the risks to children of exposure to mercury from the environment and medical products, including thimerosal in vaccines.KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-3268950137236784172009-01-12T14:23:00.003-06:002011-04-25T20:58:58.788-05:00Seizure VideoKC just had a clean EEG, but this video shows obvious seizure behavior. The neuro only saw a small clip of this and he is guessing complex partial or partial, absence and myoclonic. I am worried now that KC has been seizing all along because several times I thought he was but took him in for an EEG and after it was clean I wrote it off as sensory or something else. This time it is undeniable. Not sure if we will need another med now with the Zonegran. Friday we see the neuro and he will see this entire video.<br /><br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T6qZLlnyqKM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T6qZLlnyqKM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-48520215337272465002008-12-02T21:07:00.001-06:002008-12-02T21:07:56.689-06:00Awesome Video...thanks Danielle!<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K14c4NGuhDI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K14c4NGuhDI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-87018803537627478712008-11-21T16:43:00.000-06:002011-04-25T21:04:13.529-05:00Article on Senator Daschle and VaccinesNearly 60 percent of all autism parents believe that vaccines played a role in their child's illness, according to a recent survey. Still, their views have been met with scorn and ridicule from most of the scientific community, which insists that the vaccine-autism debate is not only a sham, but over.<br /><br />These critics, of course, ignore the fact that ongoing investigations into mercury, vaccines and autism continue, and will continue, in the vast medical research apparatus contained within the mammoth US Department of Health and Human Services.<br /><br />By nominating Tom Daschle to head up the Department, President Elect Obama has selected a man who has demonstrated an unflinching willingness to question vaccine safety, and to fight for the rights of those people who believe they have been, or may be, seriously injured by certain vaccinations. <br /><br />Senator Daschle is not anti-vaccine, but his record shows his determination to question - and even oppose - vaccine makers and big pharmaceutical interests when it comes to protecting the rights of American medical consumers.<br /><br />It was in November of 2002 (exactly six years ago) when I got my inspiration to write "Evidence of Harm." The House had just passed the Homeland Security Bill, onto which some unidentified Member (it turned out to be Dick Armey) had attached a last-minute rider granting autism liability protection to all drug companies using the mercury-based preservative thimerosal in US childhood vaccines. <br /><br />As I wrote in my book, many autism parents mobilized to try to stop the undemocratically amended Bill in the Senate. Their chief allies were Joe Lieberman and Tom Daschle, who authored an amendment to the Homeland Security Bill that included this provision:<br /><br />Childhood Vaccines <br /><br />The Republican substitute would take complaints (against drug companies) about vaccine additives out of the courts and require them to be made through what's called the Federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which handles other vaccine-related claims. This would mean a host of lawsuits could be dismissed, including claims involving the mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, which defendants claim causes autism in children.<br /><br />The Democratic amendment would strike this provision.<br /><br /><br />For the parents in my book, there was only a few days before the Senate voted on the homeland bill. As I wrote:<br /><br />Senate Democrats Tom Daschle and Joe Lieberman were offering an amendment to remove the riders, but no one thought it would be easy. For one thing, the House had already adjourned. If the Senate were to tinker with the legislation, House members would have to be recalled en masse to special session to vote on the revamped bill. In the age of Al Qaeda, and with the winds of war rising in Iraq, such a delay for many lawmakers would be untenable<br />. <br />But the Democrats were backing the so-called "Mercury Moms" on this one:<br /><br />"We are heartened that Senators Lieberman and Daschle are offering an amendment to remove extraneous additions like the thimerosal liability shield from the Homeland Security Act," said Sallie (Bernard, of SAFE MINDS) in the statement. "This addition is an example of all that is wrong with a system of using last minute riders to subvert the legislative process."<br />On November 15, 2002, Daschle spoke on the Senate floor:<br /><br />Senator Lieberman and I filed an amendment yesterday that deals with all of the egregious special interest provisions. There is a provision, as you may know, that provides liability protection for pharmaceutical companies that actually make mercury-based vaccine preservatives that actually have caused autism in children. It wipes out all of the litigation.<br />Still, Republicans were narrowly able to defeat the amendment later that afternoon. <br /><br />But the next day, Daschle returned to the floor, vowing to fight on. "This isn't over," he said. "But even if we are successful, I don't know if you can put the pieces back together for these families." (The thimerosal provision was removed from the Homeland Bill by an act of Congress in January of 2003).<br /><br />It wasn't the only time that Senator Daschle would stand up publicly to vaccine makers in favor of prudent public safety.<br /><br />A less publicized provision of the Lieberman-Daschle Homeland Security amendment read as follows:<br /><br />SAFETY Act <br /><br />The Republican substitute would give the Secretary of the new Department broad authority to designate certain technologies as so-called "qualified anti-terrorism technologies." This designation would entitle the seller of that technology to broad liability protection from any claim arising out of, relating to, or resulting from an act of terrorism, including complete immunity in many cases, no matter how negligent the seller. It would cap the seller's liability at the limits of its insurance policy.<br /><br />The Democratic amendment would strike this provision.<br /><br /><br />Daschle was a vocal skeptic of the safety of the anthrax vaccine. The US was buying millions of doses at the time, especially after spores were sent to the offices of certain U.S. Officials, including Tom Daschle.<br /><br />According to the website fiercevaccines.com:<br /><br />Federal officials believe that Senator Tom Daschle's objections to the anthrax vaccine being given to soldiers may have been a prime reason why he was targeted in the 2001 anthrax attacks. Daschle raised concerns that the vaccine would make members of the National Guard ill--a suggestion that anthrax vaccine researcher Bruce Ivins evidently was angry about. <br /><br />Speculation has been rampant that Ivins, a federal scientist directly engaged in vaccine research, initiated a series of deadly attacks using anthrax in order to boost interest and funding for his work and perhaps profit from a scramble for a new and better vaccine. Ivins committed suicide on August 1 as the FBI was preparing a case against him.<br /><br /><br />Other reports claim that government documents show that Daschle staff members were pressuring the Department of Defense to abandon Ivins' vaccine, due to safety concerns.<br /><br />The military has reported that up to 2% of all military service members may have received debilitating injuries from vaccines they were given. That could mean upwards of 48,000 men and women, some of them likely wounded by the same anthrax vaccine that Senator Daschle was trying to kill. <br /><br />Again, I am sure that Senator Daschle is not anti-vaccine, and I have no idea what his views are on the vaccine-autism debate today.<br /><br />But I do know that, six years ago, he said that "mercury-based vaccine preservatives actually have caused autism in children." And I know that he tried to stop production of a vaccine that he felt was hurting far too many people.<br /><br />I can already anticipate the howls of protest from certain sectors of the scientific community. But I hope they will give the next HHS Secretary the respect and support he will need to tackle autism and all the other health problems we face.<br /><br />For his open mind and willingness to stand up for consumers - civilian and military - alone, I think that Daschle is a choice that many autism families will support. <br /><br />If nothing else, his views on vaccine safety issues, including autism, are sure to get a fair and ample hearing at the Senate confirmation hearings.<br /><br />Finally, speaking of the Homeland Security Bill and the thimerosal rider, this is how I opened the first page of the Prologue of "Evidence of Harm":<br /><br />Lyn Redwood got the call from a lawyer friend only an hour before the (Homeland Security) vote. The prospects were bad, he told her. It was too late to do much about it now.<br />It turns out that the "lawyer friend" will probably be working as a senior member of the Obama Administration, right alongside Secretary Daschle. <br /><br />(Many thanks to www.vaccinationnews.com for help with archived articles)<br /><br />Related:<br /><br />Daschle Pick Hailed By Health Care Advocates<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Barack Obama <br />AutismKC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-28639713166478389592008-11-01T08:25:00.007-05:002011-04-25T21:05:29.676-05:00Trick or Treating FunEnough pictures, can we go yet?? <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5e1HmPIjjTu-OffCB1bBGiRRpIWTfHkceOiFHoQ9vxo5rZfIXcUXG7BJtqSI0iMOCJ-xuOP_9RWf-B4YLnXMKvO9pQUv0DehGfSHAy2UdBmhmiRR5DaWt8gA0qpEmtWWh2y3M9cNQs5r/s1600-h/IMG_0144.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5e1HmPIjjTu-OffCB1bBGiRRpIWTfHkceOiFHoQ9vxo5rZfIXcUXG7BJtqSI0iMOCJ-xuOP_9RWf-B4YLnXMKvO9pQUv0DehGfSHAy2UdBmhmiRR5DaWt8gA0qpEmtWWh2y3M9cNQs5r/s400/IMG_0144.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263681656411626082" /></a><br /><br />Awe...he's doing it himself!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4C3s9J4LOQoaPeljUIC4UTYmYwu_w6KbyS2jj6qaUkNWtOeOfE9NLzFKyjEJ_sqAPhWiY6LyJz9M8j8EfwmUXWLkBEJAbB-G7Ek5KXuDU-SgJKAR4WOtSqzGGArkm666Pvytw6EKPGt8/s1600-h/IMG_0145.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4C3s9J4LOQoaPeljUIC4UTYmYwu_w6KbyS2jj6qaUkNWtOeOfE9NLzFKyjEJ_sqAPhWiY6LyJz9M8j8EfwmUXWLkBEJAbB-G7Ek5KXuDU-SgJKAR4WOtSqzGGArkm666Pvytw6EKPGt8/s400/IMG_0145.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263681293281041282" /></a><br /><br />And to think last year we had to carry them to the door!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizG1enCVhH-Evo_owwyLFu_LaPyLqYBnW9EdqpcfarxJ5cGH3cYKMRNvrhTned8ESAvBBPSu9RI7tV0EpA_rs6Fu44Ww18dk3CfUsuwqGPE9rvATtfKtyGlpGX364nPUjrIckroSVu972R/s1600-h/IMG_0150.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizG1enCVhH-Evo_owwyLFu_LaPyLqYBnW9EdqpcfarxJ5cGH3cYKMRNvrhTned8ESAvBBPSu9RI7tV0EpA_rs6Fu44Ww18dk3CfUsuwqGPE9rvATtfKtyGlpGX364nPUjrIckroSVu972R/s400/IMG_0150.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263680862724250898" /></a><br /><br />We are tired now!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7eGXOWRnan-LmugNarUgzl125qoLOCMQnFQ6y3Cwu34WhbcOp2n7jzwuT_mkuMW2jUI8lIUPzL787mRj0yq47LSL4t4lddtwkypsQ7CgX_yw0IlaKxBmS-sxoClVX3Er4UMq2gkOeMkZ/s1600-h/IMG_0156.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7eGXOWRnan-LmugNarUgzl125qoLOCMQnFQ6y3Cwu34WhbcOp2n7jzwuT_mkuMW2jUI8lIUPzL787mRj0yq47LSL4t4lddtwkypsQ7CgX_yw0IlaKxBmS-sxoClVX3Er4UMq2gkOeMkZ/s400/IMG_0156.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263680578601917858" /></a><br /><br />Now let me at the candy!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiae93bjhUxZcSsXRidrIHK9aWux2189ry_k84BeFw5r75wiYXfRQRnq_1XIGdcNpvMm5FxuveNGp2lrwxRjv1okgpMKRTN7_wNl-QwpJQCPC3uQCI4UqOm0fjCoD7SdSch8QC4a48bi_Gj/s1600-h/gimmie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiae93bjhUxZcSsXRidrIHK9aWux2189ry_k84BeFw5r75wiYXfRQRnq_1XIGdcNpvMm5FxuveNGp2lrwxRjv1okgpMKRTN7_wNl-QwpJQCPC3uQCI4UqOm0fjCoD7SdSch8QC4a48bi_Gj/s400/gimmie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263679969581556594" /></a>KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101099170606832777.post-82257782649337704012008-10-31T21:27:00.007-05:002008-10-31T21:36:02.326-05:00A Very Happy HalloweenMy little puppy is such a ham...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSssaHQu6LxHmIV7GbppFZpQBVCtSZ0PvYiE7soTQp_jKponLFRVSKbimPlHYOdTBJHdXafOf2cHNUhH7qXNEz-PBi1naLiWWs6Ar0LTjJnVskHSW897Pp-5NxtteiBpCICb3hRQsPrxuq/s1600-h/Carf908032.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSssaHQu6LxHmIV7GbppFZpQBVCtSZ0PvYiE7soTQp_jKponLFRVSKbimPlHYOdTBJHdXafOf2cHNUhH7qXNEz-PBi1naLiWWs6Ar0LTjJnVskHSW897Pp-5NxtteiBpCICb3hRQsPrxuq/s320/Carf908032.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263511629498298962" /></a><br />And Gran sure is happy....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0Dwv2uCDmPgOJA1kkohZxVI_EqbEsHpDg2UFXAfJWMg_hIjCZHpmjMl2BDvxk2iAtopePUMPUBTaerBbV_fKZ93qzNdZAi-3RSKKhj_BWP5uJfs9IV0QAvE4ApiqGW6JfvnTxIb6Hva7/s1600-h/Gran+and+kc.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0Dwv2uCDmPgOJA1kkohZxVI_EqbEsHpDg2UFXAfJWMg_hIjCZHpmjMl2BDvxk2iAtopePUMPUBTaerBbV_fKZ93qzNdZAi-3RSKKhj_BWP5uJfs9IV0QAvE4ApiqGW6JfvnTxIb6Hva7/s320/Gran+and+kc.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263511296988941090" /></a><br />And Mommy has a lot to smile about...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcPF7PNuaZCohfNTxFVGZl8eky0DxTiTgNu41hJmXdQor5S0FN7phtiKMboWPXCx9a-HSq6WaF0PLouzINLB6FIt8Cd_2Sh3DBaxwSJdthY3rhPw1QXiwMc219GJsKOTt8WQFuKO7U5VD/s1600-h/Mom+and+kc8562d.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcPF7PNuaZCohfNTxFVGZl8eky0DxTiTgNu41hJmXdQor5S0FN7phtiKMboWPXCx9a-HSq6WaF0PLouzINLB6FIt8Cd_2Sh3DBaxwSJdthY3rhPw1QXiwMc219GJsKOTt8WQFuKO7U5VD/s320/Mom+and+kc8562d.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263511029165450962" /></a><br /><br />Because.....<br /><br />KC's EEG was NORMAL!!! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOkTcZfaqajlSNSRj1nClpk74ypFWpBfIXMINSDrM7Mvl6AkPOvnIqnV0LVSmTA-Jk_BW0Isrj2u-uZUuBNIpJyf8RQSPe0Zyy5NNtNXDLhVH4R5uk1FTKwjtMJAd2xPeBtdRmSnLGMHa/s1600-h/mHaloween1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOkTcZfaqajlSNSRj1nClpk74ypFWpBfIXMINSDrM7Mvl6AkPOvnIqnV0LVSmTA-Jk_BW0Isrj2u-uZUuBNIpJyf8RQSPe0Zyy5NNtNXDLhVH4R5uk1FTKwjtMJAd2xPeBtdRmSnLGMHa/s320/mHaloween1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263510519193121746" /></a><br /><br /><br />Happy halloween everyone!KC's Warrior Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500787582576519710noreply@blogger.com1