25 July 2015

#BreakYouMake with Chobani

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“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”
Amit Ray, Om Chanting and Meditation


I certainly can't deny that most people in America need a break. As mothers and fathers, we need a break. As grandparents and friends, we need a break. As hard workers and creative souls, we need a break. And, yes, even our kids need a break.

I am joining in with Chobani's #breakyoumake campaign to celebrate the fact that everyone needs a break every now and then. While I would love to say I'm the one who needs a break, it's actually my ten year old son who could use some time away from the chaotic challenges of the daily life.

Thank you Chobani for sending the message that America needs a break. Chobani yogurt has been staple in our diet and we firmly support companies whose mission is to provide a healthy, sustainable product. Chonai yogurt is crafted with natural ingredients that are not genetically modified (non-GMO). That means the fruit you taste is real fruit; the honey is real honey and there are no preservatives. Something we not only believe in, but is also a requirement for our way of eating.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're probably wondering why on earth such a young boy needs a break. But as someone who has been by his side for the last ten months, I'll be the first to tell you he deserves a break. As some of you may know, my son was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease last fall. You can read the details about it in this post, but I'll admit I've been horrible about sharing any updates. The truth is, I just haven't had time to sit down over these past months and write it down.

He missed over fifty-two days of school because he was so sick. So sick with stomach pains and cramping that at times he couldn't even walk. But he was determined to stay on track with school. Every day I picked up his work and we held our daily lessons on the couch. When he was feeling up to it, I would take him into school after it let out to make up tests and record grades. We stayed up late working on projects and I turned to my own creative side to add some excitement into our lessons. I am not a teacher and I am certainly not cut out to homeschool, but I had to make this experience positive for my son.

He needed hope and to know he wasn't left behind.
He ended the school year with straight A's and is proudly entering fourth grade in the fall.

His stomach pains became so intense at times that we ended up in the ER on multiple occasions. We were told to put him on heavy duty medications, even though several test results continued to come back normal. We didn't get answers and at times it felt like no one was on our side or even willing to listen. So we did all we could do; we pushed for answers and became our son's advocate. We became his voice.

On a weekly basis this poor little boy was poked and prodded. He went from an extreme fear of needles to watching the nurses draw his blood while still engaged in a conversation. When I say extreme, I mean extreme. The first few times he had blood drawn we literally had to pin him down. It absolutely broke my heart. Now it breaks my heart that the nurses can tell he's a pro at drawing blood because he's had it done so often.

Yet with every blood test, stool test, MRI, CT scan and x-ray the results are fairly consistent and don't completely line up with Crohn's Disease. And that's where we are right now on our journey. We finally found a GI that agrees with us; something doesn't line up. There isn't enough evidence to officially diagnose what's going on as Crohn's.

So where do we stand now? Well, most days are good. Actually, most days are awesome! Not all days, but most days. We've turned to diet as a form of healing. We started out on a Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and eventually phased into a Paleo diet. We now follow a combination of these two diets and have added additional foods in that we know he can tolerate. We also rely on certain anti-inflammatory foods for healing. Turmeric, leafy greens, salmon, fermented foods, coconut, yogurt, gelatin and bone broth are just a few of our essentials.

After a long journey and a hard fight, my son deserves a break. He deserves a break from painful tummy aches. He deserves a break from hospitals and doctor visits. He deserves a break from fasting and testing.

He deserves to be an active ten year old boy who isn't restricted by a chronic disease. I like to think we are slowly on the path to recovery and balance, but we have to take it one day at a time because every day is different.

This is not a sponsored or paid post and all opinions are my own.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you Chobani for such a nice post. All creations originate and emerge straight from the heart, with enormous love and tremendous passion. To grow our creativity, we need a break.

    Sandra

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