04/12/2018
4/11/18 - Roanoke, VA
Tonight, we've got a story from my friend Kelly! Kelly has a lot to talk about, but I've come to learn just how strong this momma is! Her story is lengthy, but it's VERY inspiring! I hope you'll take the time to read.
"My name is Kelly. I am a 38-year-old single mom with two children. My daughter is a USA Sanctioned Women’s Gymnast, and my son, well my son is my hero. My story is one of hope, courage, determination and strength. I remember the last attack like it was yesterday, I woke up on the kitchen floor covered in blood and my daughter kneeling beside me screaming “mommy wake up, please mommy wake up”. My husband had brutally attacked my 11-year-old son, and when I tried to save him, he turned on me.
December 26, 2016 was the day I decided to take my life back. For five years I hid the horrific abuse I endured at home daily. I was professional, and afraid of what people would think of me if they knew what was going on behind closed doors. I was abused physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. I was married to a man that was not capable of loving himself, or me. I did all that I could to save my marriage, “for better or for worse” is the hope that I hung onto, until he turned to my son. With God by my side, I found the courage to dial 911. My husband was arrested and charged with felony strangulation, and two charges of domestic assault. Later, he was charged again for violating a protective order, and found guilty on all charges. He deprived me of all social support from friends and family causing me to become dependent on him, even though I was the only one working. He cultivated anxiety and despair in me by wearing down my own power to either leave or change the situation. I was constantly thinking about what to say and worried if I was doing the right thing, so he would not become upset. In the days following his arrest I connected with D.A.D - Domestic Abuse Disruption. They helped me with escorts to each of my court hearings and kept me focused on our new life. Today I am free, I am no longer weighted down by the narcissist that controlled every aspect of my life. But my story does not end there…….the fear I have overcome, came back. This time, I was in the fight to save my son.
My sweet boy was born on October 15, 2005. When he was born he had a double ear infection, this led to pneumonia and ultimately, he was hospitalized. At nine months old he had been placed on over 10 antibiotics, along with steroids and he had tubes placed in both ears. He developed asthma and was constantly sick. Because of his birthdate he entered Kindergarten a few months before his 6th Birthday. He was bright, intelligent, energetic little boy that loved to play, and he never met a stranger. About the second week of school I started to get phone calls from his Kindergarten teacher. She would tell me that he could not focus, would not stay in his seat, and would constantly talk to his peers. Later on, those weekly calls during into daily, and then they started asking me to pick him up. Because I was a single working mom, that was not an option for me. I was forced to have son tested within the school system for “special services”, (ex: IEP) when he was found ineligible I was forced to take my son to his pediatrician. Based on the information from the school he was labeled with ADHD and put on an ADHD drug. As the months went on my son changed. He was disruptive in negative ways, he would tear down an entire bulletin board in a fit of rage. He would throw things, scream, run, and even hide. He was thrown out of every daycare in the Roanoke Valley, and was on the brink of being expelled from school. Again, I was forced to take my son back to the doctor. This time we met with a child psychiatrist, who immediately told me son had a “Unspecified Mood Disorder”, basically he was telling me my son was Bi-Polar. But how did this happen? Where did my vibrate little boy go? I could no longer see through his eyes, they were dark, and his skin was grey. My son was placed on a mood stabilizer, we underwent extensive in-home therapy, day therapy, and one on one counselling, but nothing seemed to work. In the second grade he developed severe, debilitating migraines, and was placed on a migraine preventative medication. This medication caused severe GI issues and he was later hospitalized with a major bowel blockage. It took over a year to heal his intestines.
In the early months of 2017, after my husband was incarcerated I spent every waking moment trying to heal my own wounds, and the trauma my children endured the day of the last attack. He would always wait until they went to bed to hurt me, but that day was different he did it in front of them. As winter turned to Spring, my sons’ mental status began to decline rapidly. I was at a cross-road, I was either going to lose my son to a mental hospital, or the justice system. One rainy night my son, merely 11 years old jumped out of my car at speeds over 25mph, twice. I was ready to give up, I took him to the hospital for an evaluation and they refused to do so, because while he was there, he was calm. I realized in that moment that he was not in control of his body, the medicine was. I am a prayer warrior, and I began to pray and to speak life into my son laying in that hospital bed. The following day I was chatting about my son’s story in a closed group on Facebook, and I received a message from Dr. Joe Cotton. He told me he could help my son. A chiropractor can save my son? What? No way! I was very optimistic, but what did I have to lose at this point. I sat in on a seminar, and before my eyes the slide show was talking about exactly what I had been experiencing with my son. Not just the present situation, but all the way back to birth. But still, I could not figure out how adjusting my son, would free him from everything he was experiencing. So, I took a leap of faith, and I invested my money, my time, and my faith into two doctors that vowed to turn our lives around. Before we started chiropractic care I took my son one last time to his pediatrician, and his psychiatrist to tell them what I was going to do. I had spent hours and hours researching his ADHD medication that he had been on for over 5 years and found a group of parents that were going through everything I was, and it was all related to the use of this drug. Both doctors told me what I was about to do, would not work.
The week before we began chiropractic care I removed my son from his medication. He had withdrawals for 12 days that mimicked the withdrawals of a veteran he**in addict has. This drug controlled his brain and did not allow him to retain proper emotions and problem-solving skills. While being on these drugs for so long he developed sensory challenges, ODD, and OCD. Within a week of starting chiropractic care my son was sleeping through the night. Weeks later multiple sensory challenges began to disappear one after another. He hated to brush his teeth, many kids that have sensory challenges do not like the taste of toothpaste or how the toothbrush feels in their mouth. One night he came into my bedroom and said, “Mommy I am going to brush my teeth tonight” and he has not stopped. My son also suffered with severe school anxiety. The sound of my blinker turning into the school would induce vomiting, and fear. He struggled with his grades, attendance, and he did not have any friends. I could go on and on and on about all the struggles he endured, but what’s even more enlightening is what he has overcome since we started chiropractic care. From a psychiatric stand point my son’s ADHD, ODD, OCD, and Anxiety have all been removed from his diagnoses, he has also overcome over 25 sensory challenges.
We still follow up with his psychiatrist twice a year. The last visit we had, she was at a loss for words. He is a model student and has been on the A B honor roll since the beginning of the year. He is involved in clubs at school and is loved by his teachers and friends. He has friends now, a lot, and I love filling my home with all his buddies. He now is in control of his mind, and body. He is confident, his mind is centered, and focused. He has emotions now, and he has not been sick, or gone to the doctor for any illness since June of 2017. My son’s story has been shared throughout the valley and often I am approached by other parents that have heard about his success. I have shared his journey with groups of other parents in very similar situations. Now as we sit in the waiting room at Cotton Chiropractic - Roanoke Chiropractor, he’s very much a celebrity, and he’s eating it all up. Dr. Joe and Dr. Brittany Cotton are hope givers, their training as Pediatric Neurological Chiropractors is changing lives in our community and allowing children and families to thrive. Without them, I am certain I would have lost my son. See, my son never had ADHD, he was given a label like so many kids are given, and medication that he did not need. My son overcame everything his doctors said he could not. For that reason alone, he is my HERO!
Today you will find me in the woods with my kids, hiking, or swimming in a hidden lake. I work two jobs to support my daughter’s gymnast career, and we recently enjoyed a week-long vacation at the beach.
We are survivors!"
