Eighteen months ago my life looked very different than it does today. I was a new mother to three and in the middle of newborn days, but that's not what made it so different. I was confident as a mother of three, I was confident in the way we were eating, living and doing life. I trusted my doctors. I visited the doctors office frequently when my children were sick and loaded up on antibiotics as prescribed when needed. We took a daily multi-vitamin and felt blessed to have the good health we did. The biggest difference...I didn't concern myself with superbugs, how they spread, how they were formed, how they were treated, and how they were overcome.
And I definitely wasn't a hippie.
Without going into much of our LONG, long MRSA journey...it has been hard. Really hard. It has affected every area of our lives - mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and relational. It has affected all five members of our family numerous times - consistently over the last 18 months.
It wasn't until Cole's hospital stay last January that I knew we couldn't just keep taking medications and listening to doctors tell us to just wash out hands. I felt in my gut it was time to figure this out on our own, because there was no one walking through it with us. It was us and Jesus - seriously.
We started using essential oils, and they worked, but we needed more, something to stop the spreading. We started a silver protocol written by a guy in England who called once every two weeks to check on our progress. It seemed to help, sometimes, but we needed more. I purchased a book written by a microbiologist and read it cover to cover. We started cleaning with silver. We rid our home of every single cleaner that could be compromising our immune system. I started making my own soap and detergent. I started cutting all artificial dyes and antibiotics from our food diets. We started eating organic and drinking green smoothies. We added supplements to our diet. And above all we kept trusting that God would keep directing us in what else needed to be changed in our lives. We kept praying that God would show us ways that could be contributing to our compromised health.
And we started seeing changes. Finally.
One month ago we went to see an Infectious Disease Specialist. His only new suggestion that we hadn't tired?! "All five of you should take a bleach bath every night for three months. Soak for 20 minutes" And as I stared at him like he had three heads, I asked what we do when someone brings it back in the house or we get it again??? His answer: "Start over with soaking" I left outraged.
So here we are. Two months MRSA free. It is the longest we have gone in over a year. I feel hopeful. I am not fearful. I've been given incredible tools that will change my family's health forever.
Just a few days ago someone called me and her son had MRSA - twice. I got to share with her our story. I've been hiding for so long for a few reasons: Anger, embarrassment, confusion as to why we have walked this road and fear of rejection of me and my kids. But as I got to walk alongside her, I was reminded of this verse.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
I don't have an answer to why our family has faced this 18 month trial. But I have no doubt that God, in His infinite wisdom has a purpose and plan for it greater than I could imagine. So, in order to be used by Him I have to be willing.
And claim what is true - I think I have become a hippie.
