Theo was diagnosed with Autism about 2.5 years ago. Autism rates are growing year over year. In 1975 it was 1 in 10,000 kids was diagnosed with Autism. Today the CDC reported that about 1 in 36 kids will be diagnosed with Autism in 2020. Dr. Zach Bush says that if we keep going at this rate, 1 in 3 kids will be diagnosed with Autism in 2034.
We need to find answers for these kids.
However, in order to do that, we have to take better care of ourselves so we have the energy and the stamina to take on the world that we live in.
Angela and I know what it is like. We have felt this need to race against time to find solutions for Theo before it was too late. We have both had periods of time where we were listening to podcasts daily, reading articles and studies, reading books, etc. We were consuming all that we could possibly get our hands on.
That is why I like to compare parents of special needs kids to extreme athletes. You are always testing your limits. Your energy, your mental capacity, your emotional threshold is all being tested to the max. You are completely engulfed with stress and anxiety. You don't know how you are going to get the next labs paid for because insurance doesn't cover it, and you don't know enough to even know what the next steps are because stress has you feeling tired, discouraged and defeated.
That is why we think it is necessary to tell you to: "Take better care of yourself, so you can take better care of those you care for."
I imagine this world where special needs parents around the globe tap into their full potential and they become these extra powerful beings. They have the sharpest minds in the world because they are fully nourished body, mind, and spirit.
We can't be fully nourished in body, mind, and spirit, unless we take better care of ourselves. We are practicing this same concept. We both went to see a Functional Medicine Doctor this week. They ran full labs on us to see what vitamins and minerals that we are deficient in. For example, I am deficient in B12, Testosterone, and Vitamin D. I will be supplementing these things over the next 6 weeks to see how I feel. We encourage you to seek out a Functional Medicine Doctor in your area.
We love you and respect you. We feel what you are feeling. Let's all challenge ourselves a little more each day to take more moments to care for ourselves.
Just remember, we can't challenge our kids everyday if we are not willing to challenge ourselves.