Janice & Ann's Visit With Mom

Janice and Ann visited mom today and dyed her hair. They reported that mom was very alert after only two days of being on Protandim, and that she was interacting with them in ways that she had not been able to do in a long time. She appeared to follow the conversation with her eyes and was laughing. She also opened her right hand and scratched her nose, something we noticed she had quit doing around her birthday in July of 2011.

Mom Starts Protandim

We started mom on Protandim today.  Because she is so advanced with Huntington's Disease, we started her off on a double dose. We are giving her one pill in the morning and one pill at night.

Ben & Bekah's Report from School

On Tues. I went into Ben & Bekah's classroom to bring some yogurt for dairy week.  I happened to catch their teacher and aide in the classroom without any children. They were so excited to report to me that the last couple of days Ben & Bekah have been doing amazingly well. 


Ben had written a Thanksgiving writing almost completely by himself (something that is very unusual for him to be able to do). They also commented on the quality of his writing. As I inspected it for myself, it looked almost like he had put on a pair of glasses.

They also reported that Bekah had made it through a whole day of math without asking for any help--her first day ever, I believe. They told me to keep up whatever I was doing because they were seeing some major improvements. I told them that the only thing that I had done different was to double their dose of Protandim, an herbal supplement that I had been giving them. On the previous Sunday, I had started giving them a half a pill in the morning and a half a pill at night. 

My heart was full of so much gratitude as I left the classroom that day and pondered on the implications of what we were seeing. I really couldn't ask for a better Thanksgiving gift!

Twins Results from Taking Protandim

We have had Ben & Bekah on Protandim consistantely for about three weeks now (we have used Protandim since 2007, but have not always been 100% consistent with it because it has been very hard to get down them). Ben & Bekah both stayed home from school sick today. I gave Ben his Protandim in icecream like I usually do, but he was not able to hold it down. After he threw it up, he seemed unusually upset about it, but I didn't think much of it until dinnertime when Ben asked me to give him his Protandim again.  I ask him if he was sure as it had made you sick earlier. He said, "Yes mom, I have to have it because it helps me run better."  I asked him how he knew that? He said that when he takes it he can feel his body working better and then he is able to run better. He went on to say that he wants to be a running back in football (his dad and brother are both running backs) and if he takes the Protandim he will be able to run like he needs to. His comments were very heart breaking and exciting at the same time. (If by some miracle he is able to even play football he will probably be the only A-T child ever.)  

But Bekah's comments are what floored me most. Bekah has always struggled in school cognitively, but I have noticed that the last couple of weeks she has been doing better. She is getting 100% on her reading tests and she is even wanting to read at family scripture study which is a big change for her. Her aide at school has even commented that she is finally starting to understand math concepts that she has always struggled with. She works very, very hard to keep up with her class and we are very proud of her for always doing her best. After Ben made his comments Bekah piped up and said that she has to have her protandim also. I asked her why and she said because it helps her think better and she can answer the questions in class. I asked her how it helps her think better. She pointed to her stomach and said because it goes in here and then pointed to her head and said and it makes my brain so that I can get the answers. I was completely taken back. 

I am so excited to see what other positive results we have as we move forward. I was thrilled to get help with her immune system, but I had no idea that I was going to see a cognitive improvement as well and I did not expect to see improvements so quickly.