Recently, Dr. Nicole Sundene gave me the opportunity to share
    Jake's story at Kitchen Table Medicine. Before I submitted his
    story, I asked Jake to read it. It was difficult for him to read, as
    many emotions surfaced. However, the fact that he was able to
    express how it made him feel was evidence of just how far he
    has come.

    It was very emotional for both of us. However, I had no idea
    how putting his story on paper would provide  such a
    tremendous amount of healing.

    The outpouring of response to Jake's story was overwhelming.
    When he read the words of encouragement left by strangers on
    the website, he was taken back. "Wow, I'm really special
    today." he told me. That was the defining moment that became
    the catalyst for forming this organization.   

    Jake has allowed me to share his story again.  

    Thank you, Jake.  I know your story will continue to make a
    difference.

    I am so proud of how far you have come, and for your
    dedication with your treatment. You are special every day. I
    love you more than you will ever know, and I would walk to the
    ends of the Earth for you.

~Mom
Jake's Story
Autism Angels Network
    Jake’s Story

    I took my boys to the doctor because my youngest son Ryan was sick. After less than five minutes in the
    exam room, the doctor turned to me and said "Mom, it is your other son you need to be concerned with. I
    think he may have autism."

    That moment will be embedded in my brain forever. I had known in my heart that something was
    wrong with Jake, after his vaccinations at around a year of age. The milestones he had reached seemed
    to have been erased, and further development had come to a screeching halt. Prior doctors had brushed
    off my concerns and told me that every child develops at their own rate, and I was a young mother so
    what did I know anyway?

    The next 15 years I read every book I could get my hands on, joined support groups, and prayed every
    day that God would show me the way to help Jake get better.

    I suffered tremendous amounts of guilt, sleepless nights, days full of frustration and emotional
    breakdowns. What I felt paled in comparison to what I had to witness Jake struggle with on a
    daily basis. It was like his life had been robbed from him, before he even had the chance to experience
    it. Something had happened to Jake that took him away, before I even got the chance to know him. It was
    heart wrenching.

    Despite what the specialists told me, something about the diagnosis and proposed treatments did not
    sit right with me. I refused to medicate my son, and strip away what was left of his personality, and I
    refused any drastic treatments that would cause Jake further distress. I forged on, relying on my faith and
    instincts, and did only what I could on my own, and only what felt right in my heart.

    Some days it was so overwhelming that I didn’t think I could continue this fight. But, like mothers do, I
    kept going.

    I was however, unknowingly on the path of recovery, once we went organic, chemical free, and turned to
    Eastern medicine about three years ago. Jake was definitely getting better, but there was still something
    missing. I just didn't know what, so I continued searching.

    Then, in December 2008, I was fortunate enough to come across Jenny McCarthy’s books, Mother
    Warriors and Louder Than Words. Her books were empowering. They were the first books I had read on
    autism in 15 years that I agreed with. Everything clicked. The books were not only empowering, they
    provided me with the missing link I had been searching for.

    My son was physically sick! His body was toxic, and he was fighting an internal battle! And the very
    foods that he craved were contributing to his symptoms. I rushed to Brent Timco, our
    acupuncturist/Chinese herbalist with the new information that I had, and the supplement chart provided by
    TACAnow.org. We sat down together and formulated a custom treatment plan for Jake. Brent was able
    to simplify the treatment plan as to not overload Jake. We also started the gluten free/casein free diet, a
    heavy metals detox formula, colostrum, probiotics, vitamins, and cod liver oil.

    Looking back to when we went organic three years ago, I realized that Jake had gone through withdraw. I
    had taken a kid who lived for McDonalds and whose diet consisted of literally a handful of foods, and
    basically stripped him of everything. I started making things from scratch, and it is an understatement to
    say he was resistant. Any parent of an autistic child knows how challenging food can be! We usually
    pick the wrong battle and let them eat what they want, just to get through the day. But after the
    initial withdraw, Jake started widening his food choices! So I knew when I found out about the gf/cf diet,
    we had to do it!

    By February, Jake was reading labels and will now choose gluten free foods on his own accord and
    refuses to eat fast food – “Because I feel so much better the way I am eating now.”

    I am thrilled to say that Jake is making tremendous progress. He is catching up in leaps and bounds. We
    are able to discuss what happened to him, and he is an active part of his healing. Ryan recently told
    me about a month ago “Jake is finally starting to be my brother.”

    I look back to when he was diagnosed and the doctors told me there wasn’t much hope for his future. I
    refused to believe that, and decided that no-one was going to cap my child’s potential. Jake is
    exceeding all the expectations that the doctors had for him. Best of all, I am meeting my son for the
    first time.

    Jake turned 19 this April (2009). I can’t erase what happened to him. I can’t take away the years of
    physical pain and emotional suffering that he endured. I can’t give him his childhood back. But I
    can help ensure that he will have the best future possible. I can tell our story, share our experiences, and
    spread the word that you can help your child get better. Jake is living proof of that.
"It's never too late to be
what you might have been."

~George Eliot
Jake, January 2010
                                         

      I am overwhelmed by the progress a certain person has made.
    His path, hidden from the beginning was laid.
    Milestones have been conquered, never allowing defeat.
    With the tenacity of his mother, both refuse to retreat.
    To his triumphs, his future, and all that is at stake,
    I give tribute and am proud
    of a certain person named Jake.
    ~LW