On the 5th of November 2004 we were blessed with the greatest gift we could ever have asked for, we just didn't realise it yet...

My husband Grant & I had a 2 year old and spent the last 10 years trying to have children. At 32 weeks Cameron stopped moving and I automatically thought the worst (after loosing 4 babies), however due to my specialist's fast action, we had a caesarean. We still didn't know what was going on, but he said he had a better chance on the outside than he did on the inside.

Cameron was born with a liver disorder, no white blood cells and over load of red blood cells resulting in no immune system.

For 10 days we hoped and prayed for his body to kick in and let his liver start to work. He was very ill and due to the lack of white blood cells we were told that IF he survived he had a 92% chance of being deaf, blind or brain damaged! We chose not to take that on board, in our eyes he was going to make it, he was fine and that's how we talked about things “when we go home” etc...

Due to a fantastic specialist who “lied” on my medical form saying I had complications and had to stay in hospital, meant I could stay with him (well visit the ICU across the hall rather than leave him there!). I expressed and feed him myself as it was the only contact I had with him, one hand at a time into his special crib hooked with all kinds of things. The nurses offered to do night feeds, almost pushy at times for my own health due to my surgery, expressing, walking to the ICU and standing to feed, but I begged they not take that away from me.

My husband and our eldest son Lachlan were unable to visit due to his lack of immune system and the last thing we needed was more complications. I have never felt so alone in my whole life.

At 6 weeks old the medical world pretty much gave up on him. He was able to be at home with us but other than so many mls of expressed milk every few hours (to help flush his liver) there was nothing they could do for him. So we started our own research and that's where our journey really began. We learnt that most baby products were full of chemicals and toxins (that Cameron couldn't handle, he would start to wilt before our eyes and his skin peel) so a very steep learning curve on what we could use and what we could not.

We used an old Chinese herbalist, different naturopaths, reflexologist, you name it we tried it for the first few years. They helped sustain our baby and deal with all the things that kept popping up. He had eczema, asthma, very little immune system and major food intolerances causing bowel and gut issues. BUT he did not have deafness, blindness or brain damage and he was still here! If they were wrong about that what else were they wrong about? Turns out – a lot!!

We were giving him herbs, vitamins, minerals, fish oils, probiotics and using natural/organic personal care products where we could with what his body told us he could have. We learnt very quickly that what is on the label is not always the only ingredient in the bottle. Did you know if an ingredient is under a certain % that they do not have to put it on the label here in Australia?

So due to what we looked into and what we had discovered:

• He needed minerals (especially zinc as it is critical for the bodies immunity system and is responsible for enzyme function and critical pathways in the body.
  50% of cultivated soils (where our fruits and veges are being grown are zinc deficient – Australia highest on the list!!!). Also another factor we learnt is that if you are mineral deficient you will not absorb all nutrients, vitamins and minerals from your foods and/or supplements so this was our first place to start.
• Second was Essential Fatty Acids as they cannot be produced by the body but essential for brain regeneration as it crosses the blood brain barrier – 60 % of the brain is fat! (If a child is deficient, the brain does not develop/function optimally – awesome for childhood learning and behavioural issues) also on the list for his skin due to his eczema.... However at this stage we were using fish oil which sent his mercury levels through the roof due to where the fish oil was harvested!
• Next and just as important was probiotics, due to the link between gut health, brain, food intolerances, skin, and most of all immune system (80% of the immune system starts in the gut – our bodies are made up of 100 trillion cells, 10 trillion are human the other 90 are bacteria. Made sense to add good ones.)
• We also chose not to use a microwave at all due to when heating, thawing or cooking you loose 98% of all vitamins, minerals, trace elements and enzymes from the food!! So all you get is the calories.
• We chose to grow as much of his food as possible and or buy organic where possible (not easy out here) due to so many of all the goodies we need being lost in early harvesting, transporting, storage, cooking, freezing, canning, over processing, refining, pasteurising... the list goes on. Before that they spray them with chemicals, add antibiotics, hormones and steroids.... Then they add colours, flavours and preservatives.... so in a nut shell we chose to eat 60% real fresh food, grass feed meat, and not very many shelf bought products in tin or packet.
• We also found he needed Vitamin D, natural from the sun :) so small doses every day to help his liver function, and build immunity.
• Pink Himalayn Rock salt was also found to help with cell rehydration and his asthma, opening his air ways.

That was just the first 2 or so years and we did all that on our own. We felt very alone at times and treated like we had lost the plot by some family members, but at all times KNEW we were on the right track. Never once second guessing what we were doing due to Cam's sustainability and our own health improving :)

At 2 ½ years of age, a friend of mine rang me and said she had just heard about some stuff that may help with Cam :) She was right... The company was called Neways and this was the real turn around for our son, from sustaining to real wellness. This company refuses to use over 3500 chemical and toxins in the making of their personal care products, the closest competitor we found was 200.

To date we have been using these products for 6 years and he has never reacted to anything we have tried him with.

We changed over from what we were getting from naturopaths, health food stores and specialists gradually to see if there were reactions or improvements. The first thing we changed were his personal care products (shampoo, body wash, tooth paste, washing powder and dish washing liquid). His skin was not as weepy, red and angry. He enjoyed a bath for the first time and he liked brushing his teeth, for those who have ever used bicarb soda or herbal toothpaste you will understand :) His liver was also getting stronger...

So then we looked into the nutritional products, the scariest thing to change as what we were using (although very time consuming) was keeping him going. We had learnt that the body needs 60 essential minerals, 15 essential vitamins, 12 amino acids and 3 essential fatty acids.

First to introduce was the Lacto Flora (pro biotic) and Feroxin (plant based organic colloidal minerals). We noticed a big change in his general health and liver function. After a short time (with no reactions) we bought in Krill oil, his skin (eczema) started to really clear up. He changed to the children’s multivitamin and we also introduced other things as he needed them when/if things came up. As he could not have any antibiotics or medications (his liver couldn't cope with those) we were truly happy to now have alternatives to all these problems should they arise.

Why were we getting better results using less? More digging found that these guys will not use irradiated herbs in any of their nutritional products. Basically when other companies make herbs and vitamins they put them through a big microwave to kill off any bacteria resulting in the same effect as a micro wave – little or no actual benefits left. We did find a few practitioner brands that were better than shelf bought products but still not great.

The scariest event that ever took place with Cameron was an anaphylactic reaction where his skin became so swollen it had almost started to split. He couldn't see out of one eye nor could he smile due to the extent of the swelling down one side of his face. We live very remote and our main fear was that it would cut off his air ways. Thanks be to God, the universe or whatever it is you believe in but there was an ambulance on the side of the road that day !!! The reaction lasted days but thanks to support from specialist and naturopaths within Neways, we followed recommendations on what to give him and how much and his welts started to go down very quickly and with 12 – 24 hours he was well and truly on the mend.

Every year we have seen major improvements in our son and as he turns 8 next week we are proud to say he is a normal healthy little boy, A grade student in grade 2, perfect sight and selective hearing …. he is a normal child after all :)

The only “health” issue we still have are his food intolerances. He is intolerant to wheat, dairy and eggs as his main ones but others on a smaller scale and these are improving all the time. We found this out through a test we did from Hayley Wallace (www.hayleywallace.com.au) - click on the allergy tab and read the difference to the test your doctor is doing and this test – two totally different things and you may need to do both....

Now at the beginning I said we were blessed with the greatest gift and we didn't know it yet - the reason behind this statement, is because due to Cameron coming into our lives we have also fixed a lot of our own health issues from what we have learnt due to his illness. Almost all illness, conditions, disease etc can be improved if not cured when you learn what the body needs, why you have it in the first place and how to go about changing it.

So here's our list for a healthy life:

• Firstly you have to decide if you are happy in the sickness industry or you wish to be in the wellness industry. Seems simple enough but due to the roller coaster ride we were on you have to choose to get off it and try another one sometimes. Ask yourself, is what I am doing working or is it just a band aide to my symptoms? Your answer to this very question is the turning point to you becoming truly well.
• Reduce your toxic overload from every day living by reducing toxins in the bathroom, laundry and kitchen, eat well - non processed REAL food) drink water (seems simple enough but have you had 2 – 3 litres today? That's what the average adult requires to keep the system hydrated, liver flushed and organs happy) Invest in quality nutritional supplements (for the cost of a coffee a day look at it as your health insurance) we do not get what we need from our food any more, the soils are deficient, the food is deficient.
• And educate yourself... Have you heard about Electro Magnet Fields and what it does to our cells? Or that we need to walk on the bare earth and grass with no shoes even for a little while each day or swim in fresh water or the ocean. Little things that don't cost money, we were just never told. This process wasn't over night but every cell in our body is totally renewed every 7 years, that's kind of cool that we have a fresh start with our health, starting today if you like :)

What I love most is the support we have had over the past few years that we never had in the beginning. People sharing and learning and caring …... I have now made it my business to help others, because what if like us they are LOOKING for something...

For more information on the Neways products, their mission and goals go to my web page at: http://sandyfrankish.myneways.com.au/HealthyHomes1/home.aspx

and check them out for yourself.

If you wish to set up your own membership PLEASE do not do it through this website, but instead send me an email or give me a call and we will sort it through Kelly at Bamboo Bubby.

Thank you for letting me share our story

Sandy, Grant, Lachlan & Cameron