Tag: children;s health

For Our Children (Part 2): Parents Leading Civic Engagement

Over the past five years, the Story Walking Radio Hour (SWRH) has introduced podcast listeners to some amazing parents and their difference making efforts. As 50 percent of children in the U.S are now afflicted with chronic health issues, parents are taking action to reverse this trend. When parents discover their own children’s lives being threatened by environmental toxins, they become compelled to learn more and correct the situation, for the love of their children and children all across the country.

Zen Honeycutt, a podcast guest as founder of Moms Across America, advocates for healthy community food systems and promotes organic whole food, free from pesticides, herbicides and other contaminants. She has presented astonishing lab analysis of baby formula and fast food that tested positive for heavy metal contamination and continues to conduct similar studies. She has been gathering and publishing solid evidence. Honeycutt is the author of Unstoppable: Transforming Sickness and Struggle into Triumph, Empowerment and a Celebration of Community.

Rachael McIntosh, founder of the Foundation for Bioethcis in Technology, has spoken on two episode. She cares deeply about the historic shift of life on Earth caused by technological advances — specifically synthetic biology introduced into the natural world and even into humans. She is a community organizer known for her advocacy work crafting legislation for the regulation of toxic atmospheric emissions. Few people are aware of the heavy metal particulates being sprayed into the stratosphere for alleged purposes of weather and climate modification. These particulates shower down to pollute the air, water and soil. McIntosh has presented compelling lab analysis of rainwater with high levels of aluminum, barium and other toxic metals. Rachael brings attention to other advanced technologies through monthly news releases and presentations. She is the author of the fictional Security through Absurdity series of books, in which she combines her personal experiences with scientific fact into a compelling narrative that explores bioethics.

Cecelia Doucette, founder of Massachusetts for Safe Technology, is a three-time guest on SWRH. As a communications expert, educator and community organizer, Cece works at the local and state level advocating for tech safe schools, homes, businesses and for regulation of wireless technology. She provides tools, education and informational resources to help people identify, mitigate and eliminate the health effects of living within the radioactive frequencies of cell phones, cell towers, wifi, Bluetooth and smart meters. She introduced listeners to the Safe Living Technologies RF meter, which allows anyone to measure electromagnetic frequencies in any environment. Paired with the monitoring of physical symptoms, these meters can help prove evidence of harm from electromagnetic radiation (EMF) exposure. She works with legislators to craft legislation and leads citizens in advocacy.

Janet Demeter, who lost a child to DIPG brain stem cancer, is the founder of Jack’s Angels Foundation, host of Childhood Cancer Talk Radio and a lead advocate in growing awareness of pediatric cancer through her Moonshot4Kids campaign. Since losing Jack in 2012, Demeter has learned a lot about cancer research, the shortcomings of the pediatric cancer care system and government policy, as well as safer, more effective options for treatment. She one of many parents who have been creating greater visibility and encouraging a higher level of funding for research into cures for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and pediatric cancers in general. Janet leads the effort to pass a resolution designating the 17th day in May as ‘‘DIPG Awareness Day,’’ which cites DIPG as the most compelling example of pediatric cancer.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the SWRH host, Wendy Nadherny Fachon, interviews Demeter, after sharing her own observations regarding both healthcare and cancer care. Fachon noticed that conventional oncologists ignore causation while naturopathic oncologists and functional medicine practitioners focus on causation. She wanted to know what caused her child’s cancer. This is relevant for SWRH, because cancer is largely a product of environmental factors, both outside the body and inside the body – polluted air, impure water, tainted foods, electromagnetic radiation and other foreign substances that cause harm to a body. These factors are invisible and effect the body in invisible ways, yet new diagnostics are available to make these causes visible and new therapies are available to make cancer and other diseases more treatable. Listen to the latest radio hour episode, For Our Children: Warrior Parenting.

Parents who lead in civic engagement set wonderful examples for their own children and inspire other parents to claim a cause and do the same.

LISTEN TO PARENTS SPEAK ABOUT OUR CHILDREN’S HEALTH

Childhood Cancer Talk Radio with Janet Demeter – https://toginet.com/shows/childhoodcancertalkradio

What is DIPG? With Dean and Wendy Fachon – https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/chd-tv/shows/good-morning-chd/what-is-dipg/

What is Bioethics? with Rachael McIntosh – https://dreamvisions7radio.com/what-is-bioethics/

Why Eating Organic is Crucial to the Future of the Planet? With Zen Honeycutt – https://dreamvisions7radio.com/eating-organic-crucial-future-planet/

Environmentally-Safe Technology with Cecelia Doucette – https://dreamvisions7radio.com/environmentally-safe-technology-part-3/

READ LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER

118th CONGRESS (2023-2024)

H.RES 416 – Designating the 17th day in May as ‘‘DIPG Awareness Day’’

Letter to Congress and Text of Resolution – https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hres416/text

Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act of 2023 – https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5405/text

Gabriella Kids First Research Act 2.0 – https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3391/text

LEARN ABOUT CHILDHOOD CANCER ORGANIZATIONS CREATED BY PARENTS

Jack’s Angels Foundation (Janet Demeter) – https://jacksangelsfoundation.com/

Smashing Walnuts: Cracking the Cure for Childhood Cancer (Ellyn Miller) https://smashingwalnuts.org/

The Cure Starts Now (Brooke and Keith Dessrich) – https://www.thecurestartsnow.org/

… and there are many, many more.

For Our Children (Part 1)

Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death among children.

My journey of awakening: A few years after receiving an MBA, I earned my license to sell health insurance. Then I worked for three years as an independent agent, representing four large health insurance companies (Blue Cross, United Health, Tufts and Aflac), and I read a lot.

I read health articles about increases in obesity and incidence of autism, ADHD and diabetes among children. Having a father suffering from heart disease and a mother-in-law fighting stage 4 cancer, I also read about these diseases. And, I came to understand how the increasing usage of medical services was driving up insurance costs.

As a number cruncher, I analyzed the double-digit increases in premium costs year-over-year. These increases surpassed inflation and pay raises, by an order of magnitude in one client case that I clearly recall. Higher insurance costs were placing a greater financial burden on small businesses and their employees. This translated into more stress and more dis-ease. I envisioned our economy being pulled into a downward spiral.

The medical insurance system was an economic disaster in the making, and, in good conscience, I could no longer participate in the “system.” I left my job in medical insurance to work with urban school children in “out of school time” (OST) programs, with the intention of helping “insure” their long-term well-being through physical activity, healthy behavioral habit development and social-emotional learning, through fun activities, mostly outdoors. I sought to address the root cause of poo health.

During my first summertime youth enrichment program (2012), I witnessed the highly-processed, starchy foods being served for school breakfasts and lunches, including sugary cereals, mealy apples and gluey white bread sandwiches that stuck to the roof of the mouth. The sandwich had one wafer-thin piece of process meat and no lettuce. I took one bite and threw it in the trash can.

My youth work experiences compelled me to write articles about children’s health for a local magazine, Natural Awakenings, and my own awakening evolved. The revelations kept coming…

And WHOMP! In 2016, the most unthinkable happened. Our teenage son, Neil, was diagnosed with terminal DIPG brain stem cancer. The oncologist told him he had three months to live, maybe six, if he were to undergo radiation. Neil, my husband and I sat there in disbelief. How could this possibly have happened to an athletic child who had been perfectly healthy one year earlier?

Statistically, the DIPG diagnosis had a one in a billion chance of happening to any child, healthy or immune-compromised. The oncologist could not say what caused DIPG. She conducted a physical exam, and she asked a few questions. She asked Neil when he’d had his last bowel movement, and he could not remember. One week? Two weeks? Yikes! I got stuck in that moment, while the oncologist breezed on ahead with more questions.

Finally, the doctor delivered her recommendations – dexamethasone, a tissue biopsy and radiation therapy (drugs, surgery, radiation) – “standard of care” for DIPG. Clearly, she had no schooling in gut health and nutrition, and this was a blinking yellow light for me. Caution! Caution! Slow down! Wait. Stop right there!

Thus began our real journey of awakening. Stay tuned for additional blog entries, and check out our book.