My story has several parts to it, to gain a full understanding of the way changing to a carnivore diet has impacted my life. It’s a long one!
As a single adoptive parent of 6 special needs children and 2 biological children, I have been accustomed to thinking outside the box. All of my special needs children have been diagnosed with multiple challenges related to fetal alcohol and drug exposure. Their behavioral and physical needs are extensive.
I also have several medical diagnosis, including Multiple Sclerosis, psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis, PCOS, and a few gastrointestinal disorders.
Just over 2 years ago, after traveling extensively in Latin America, I, and 7 of my children, left the US to travel the rest of the world. Our intentions were to be of service to others everywhere went. We called it our Great Global Gratitude tour. As a family, we were certain that THIS would help my kids find a way to heal and feel useful in a world that otherwise didn’t hold a great future for them. Others had come before me who had tried the usual methods.
I homeschool my kids, and at the time we ate a “healthy diet”, limiting sugar and processed food, eating locally produced and as inexpensively as possible.
After we arrived in Europe, my health started failing rapidly. I had a large mass in my abdomen, which was deemed a “tumor”, certain it was cancer of the stomach. I was less certain and, as we left the country because our visas expired, I undertook a study of what would heal me naturally.
I was taking several meds at the time for pain relief, including steroids to control the effects of MS and degenerative arthritis. I continued to gain weight, which added to my misery!
I embarked on a vegetarian diet and raw juicing to attack the mass in my abdomen. My kids, in an act of solidarity, wanted to become vegetarian with me.
The mass did shrink and for a few weeks, I got better! I was all in! My other health probs didn’t really improve, but I felt that was ok, as my condition was not expected to improve, just gradually worsen over time.
Just when we landed in a country where we thought we would stay on longer – there was so much we could do to serve others! – the nightmare began.
In January 2017, my health started quickly declining. There were days I could barely get out of bed because of pain and harsh digestive issues. My mobility decreased and pain escalated.
By May 2017, as we were building an NGO to help children with the same problems my own kids have, the unimaginable occurred. I was arrested in a foreign country with a history of governmental corruption. My children, under the care of my 21 year old son, had to flee the country for safety.
I was held as what was described as a political prisoner, without official recognition, in a concentration camp-like prison for a month, before being released to house arrest. At least I could communicate and work on my release.
With my children away, our finances left almost non-existent, and health rapidly declining, on the advice of a doctor, I began preparing for the worst. I would likely not make it out of this situation alive.
Taking my own life seemed an option, as I was worth more dead than alive. At least my kids would be taken care of and I could avoid the last few months of agony.
I didn’t pursue that option, finding hope and strength in my desire to find a miracle that would allow me to see my children grow up. I still made arrangements for my end, to make sure that the process went as smoothly as possible for my family and awaited the inevitable natural end of my life.
By November 2017, I loosened my grip on vegetarianism/veganism. My weight was up to 238 lbs and I was often using a cane to walk. I had little muscle tone and a very limited range of motion.
I studied more about health and returned to my past paleo mindset. I slowly increased eating meats, as I readjusted to digesting solid foods and less fiber. My children were able to return to me safely in this country and things improved somewhat.
Then, I came across the carnivore approach. I didn’t think I had much more to lose, so I dove in!
Within a week the pain and inflammation subsided. My hands, which had become gnarled from arthritis, began to straighten. By week 2, I stopped all meds and near full mobility returned.
I was granted 2 hours a day outside my home for exercise and for personal needs, Without pain, inflammation and with new mobility, I started walking. By the end of week 3, I was able to walk several miles a day! I could sleep and eat and weight started melting off! I even had noticeable muscle tone developing.
In week 4, I was doing so well, my kids wanted in on it. My eldest son started and developed greater muscle mass and a lot of fat loss immediately.
Through my studies, I found there may benefits for kids with needs such as mine have. My youngest special needs child, with multiple behavioral challenges, low IQ, and gorging issues (all from FASD and fetal drug exposure) started behaving more appropriately and speaking more clearly, fewer tantrums, could study and retain what he read. My teen daughter’s cystic acne cleared, her anxiety lessoned, she became more social and SWEET! What kind of miracle was this?
As of today, I have lost over 50 lbs. I can walk, bend, squat, do almost anything. I have no signs of ANY OF THE DIAGNOSED ILLNESSES. I can now hike miles and miles everyday, walk 4 flights of stairs several times a day, no choking and have no pain. No meds, no seizures, no “hugs” except from my kids, no more gnarled hands and feet. I am free to continue to travel the world with my kids and don’t worry about dying and missing out on their lives on a daily basis! My kids are like new people. We gained a new hope for the future!
The results were swift, dramatic and powerful for all of us. After 11 weeks starting carnivore, and seeing such amazing results, I began taking a positive approach to everything. Every aspect of my life has improved to a level I have never experienced. I began encouraging others and meeting their needs, when only weeks ago, I could not meet my own!
I was recently released from prison. After a full year, I am free. It’s significant on so many levels, to be free from the physical prison of my body, the prison of my mind and the literal prison of this country. With greater mental clarity and no depression, I can forward now. Even the financial challenges we face no longer seem insurmountable. We can leave this country when I have the financial resources to do so, and I go forward in strength and power, with a new purpose.
