Some of you know my Dad and some of you don't. He is the greatest Father, son, friend, brother, husband, leader and most of all example! His enthusiasm is contagious and most everyone who meets him wants to meet him again.
Two years ago my Dad came to our family with some horrifying news.
For the past couple of months we knew he had been developing some interesting symptoms. On of which was his feet felt like they were on fire. He felt as if he had 3rd degree burns on his feet all the time and could not wear socks and shoes. Just a few side stories…That winter his feet were so hot he was found several time shoveling snow with flip-flops! The next summer at Lake Powel he thought dry ice in a bucket of water might cool his feet down…not very smart I know, but kind of funny if you know my Dad!
With his symptoms persisting, my Dad proceeded to seek help from a specialist, followed by an MRI and then a spinal tap. This was when he was told that he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the nerves in your body. Not knowing too much about this disorder my first thought was that my Dad was dying. It was so abrupt that I didn’t know how to react to such news. I hugged my Dad and said “I don’t want you to die!” My Dad being the Father he is said “If I do, you’ll know where to find me.” How reassuring to know that my Father knew where he would go if it was his time. I know that is not something that I have ever been able to say in my life and hope someday I can be spiritually confident enough to say that to my children.
Being the positive ball of fight and devotion that he is, he decided to take his treatment into his own hands. He researched diets that my help fight his MS and came across a book “The China Study”. He completely cut meat, dairy and hydronated oil out of his diet. As you can imagine that is NOT an easy thing to do. We grew up on roast and mashed potatoes, cheesy casseroles, sour cream and lots of milk. He cut it all out cold turkey to see if it would make a difference. He slowly noticed his symptoms subsiding. His feet were still just has hot but the numbness in his stomach and vision were back to normal! Over the next two years he had no added symptoms to his hot feet.
My parents invited us to the temple the other week, along with my sister and her husband. During the section my dad said that his feet felt cold for the first time since the diagnosis! It was a miracle.
He had another MRI last Wednesday to see if the lesions on his brain had gotten worse. MS has no cure and it is progressive disorder. The MRI was to see how fast his body was destroying his nerves. If the pace was fast his MS would continue to take over his body. He received a letter from his specialist and it read “You have no new lesions on your brain or spinal column…” It was an absolute blessing! His will and spiritual strength has conquered the discouragement of doctors and statistics. Will he be the same “Groovy Guy” in 30 years? I think so!
Two years ago my Dad came to our family with some horrifying news.
For the past couple of months we knew he had been developing some interesting symptoms. On of which was his feet felt like they were on fire. He felt as if he had 3rd degree burns on his feet all the time and could not wear socks and shoes. Just a few side stories…That winter his feet were so hot he was found several time shoveling snow with flip-flops! The next summer at Lake Powel he thought dry ice in a bucket of water might cool his feet down…not very smart I know, but kind of funny if you know my Dad!
With his symptoms persisting, my Dad proceeded to seek help from a specialist, followed by an MRI and then a spinal tap. This was when he was told that he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the nerves in your body. Not knowing too much about this disorder my first thought was that my Dad was dying. It was so abrupt that I didn’t know how to react to such news. I hugged my Dad and said “I don’t want you to die!” My Dad being the Father he is said “If I do, you’ll know where to find me.” How reassuring to know that my Father knew where he would go if it was his time. I know that is not something that I have ever been able to say in my life and hope someday I can be spiritually confident enough to say that to my children.
Being the positive ball of fight and devotion that he is, he decided to take his treatment into his own hands. He researched diets that my help fight his MS and came across a book “The China Study”. He completely cut meat, dairy and hydronated oil out of his diet. As you can imagine that is NOT an easy thing to do. We grew up on roast and mashed potatoes, cheesy casseroles, sour cream and lots of milk. He cut it all out cold turkey to see if it would make a difference. He slowly noticed his symptoms subsiding. His feet were still just has hot but the numbness in his stomach and vision were back to normal! Over the next two years he had no added symptoms to his hot feet.
My parents invited us to the temple the other week, along with my sister and her husband. During the section my dad said that his feet felt cold for the first time since the diagnosis! It was a miracle.
He had another MRI last Wednesday to see if the lesions on his brain had gotten worse. MS has no cure and it is progressive disorder. The MRI was to see how fast his body was destroying his nerves. If the pace was fast his MS would continue to take over his body. He received a letter from his specialist and it read “You have no new lesions on your brain or spinal column…” It was an absolute blessing! His will and spiritual strength has conquered the discouragement of doctors and statistics. Will he be the same “Groovy Guy” in 30 years? I think so!
