Fighting-Part 1...The Suzanne Sommers Connection

Since receiving the devastating diagnosis of ALS back in April, Mom has been fighting this thing on several fronts.  We learned very quickly that modern medicine has little to offer in the treatment of this disease.  The diagnosis is rare, around 5,000 new cases a year in the United States, so it gets neither the attention nor the funding for research that diseases like cancer or Parkinson's Disease get.  Mom and Dad wanted to fight it, but didn't know where to turn.  While my Aunt Jo Anne, mom's sister, was visiting in May, she found a place to start.  Aunt Jo, herself battling breast cancer, was reading up on holistic medicines.  One of the books she had with her in Boone was one by Suzanne Sommers, (you know, Chrissy from Three's Company!) who is into holistic medicines, healthy dieting, etc. Mom was thumbing through her book, when a name jumped off the page: Dr. Apgar in Wilkesboro, NC.  Mom knew him, and had treated his veins in her job as medical assistant for Dr. Ty Bell in Boone!  Dr. Bell called Dr. Apgar the next day on Mom's behalf and learned that his clinic, just 28 miles from Boone, had treated  ALS patients before. Mom had an appointment a few days later, where she and Dad met with Dr. Apgar and his partner, Dr. Cohn, who evaluated Mom.  After lots of poking and prodding and giving of blood, Mom learned that the levels of heavy metals in her blood were through the roof.  Mercury. Lead. Cadmium.  Toxic metals linked to ALS and other diseases were found in Mom's blood in outrageous proportions. When I met with Dr. Cohn in July, he showed me the chart and said her metals were "off the chart and back around again".  It's unclear where it all came from, probably years of environmental toxins building up in her system.  It can't be said that it caused Mom to get ALS, but there is a correlation. So...In a weird kind of way, it was good news.  Something to work with!  Mom, who as we all know LOVES going to the dentist (read that with a sarcastic tone!) had all of the metal fillings removed from her teeth and replaced with ceramic.  She has switched to a natural deodorant without aluminum, and stopped eating fish and other foods known to carry mercury. Under the care of Dr.'s Cohn and Apgar, she has been undergoing chelation therapy, where metals are drawn out of her body. She is also taking a crazy number of supplements daily as well as IV nutrition and glutathione, which helps protect the nerves.  The hope in all of this is that it will slow the progression of the disease, and it has given Mom something to fight it with!
Coming tomorrow...Fighting-Part II...South of the Border!

Mom's Prayer...

Lord give me strength, cleanse my body from all unrighteousness,
Heal me, have mercy on me.
I'm waiting to serve you Lord,
I will worship while I'm waiting,
For my God is with me!

I am also reading Philippians 4:6-7, which says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus."

Thank you all for your love and prayers!  Janet

Comfort Foods

Anyone who's been around the Metzger/Poulos family for more than five minutes knows that it's all about food.  Whether a holiday, a homecoming, or a plain old family dinner, the food is of the utmost importance.  It's flavorful. It's plentiful. It's the center of attention for all to applaud and critique, analyze and improve upon.  Good recipes are shared in a flurry of emails, and bad ones are discarded with disdain.  And as everyone knows, my mother is the chef-matriarch of this family. She's the best cook that we all know. She makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich amazing.  She's the one we call on Thanksgiving or Christmas with a question about the turkey or the prime rib, and she always knows the answer.  So as much as we celebrate with food in this family, we also rely on food for comfort from time to time.  And I know my siblings will agree, that our number one comfort food growing up was, and still is, my mother's Greek soup.  Mom made it for us whenever we were sick, and sometimes just because.  Papou made it for her as a child, and I carry on the tradition with my own children. It was one of the first real foods they ate as babies, and they all still get excited when they smell it on my stove top. In Greek, it's called "Avgolemono" which means "egg and lemon", which sounds disgusting.  But just call it Greek Soup like we do, and trust me on this one...

Janet's Greek Soup
48 oz. of chicken broth
2 eggs
2 lemons
3/4 cup of orzo pasta
Bring the broth to a boil and cook the orzo till soft. In the meantime, separate the eggs and beat the whites with a mixer until they are white, foamy, and begin to stiffen. Add the yolks and continue to beat. Add the juice from the lemons and continue to beat. Add 2-3 ladle fulls of the hot broth and mix. When the orzo are done, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the egg mixture.  Add salt and pepper and more lemon juice to taste. Add some cooked chicken to make it heartier, if you like.
Enjoy!
PS...I've linked you to an amazing cookbook that my sister Casey gave each of us girls for Christmas last year. It's from Real Simple, where Casey is the Photo Director.  I love this cookbook!  The recipes are, well, really simple, and so delicious! You'll find some more great comfort foods in it, like the Smoky Corn Chowder on p.20.  Check it out!

The title of this blog...

Wow! We already have two followers and a comment! (thanks, Uncle Phil!)  Mom took a look this morning, and although I told her to think about it and give me feedback before we spread the word, she immediately started sending the link around! So...I guess we're moving on with this! I'm urging her to write something today, but we'll see. In the meantime, I thought I should explain the title of this blog. It sounds oxymoronic, I know, to call ALS a "light momentary affliction."  I won't go into the pathology of the disease here, but if you are unfamiliar with it, as I was a few months ago, you can go to alsa.org where you'll learn very quickly that it is anything but light. The title of our blog comes from 2nd Corinthians 4:16-18 which says:
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
So much can be said about this passage of God's word, especially in light of what my mom is facing. It encourages us not to lose heart. It reminds us that we are all "wasting away" whether we have a disease or not. Our bodies are here for a season, but the weight of glory that awaits those of us who have put our faith in Christ is for eternity.  It is the eternal that we are to look to, which is hard because it is unseen and requires great faith.  It is sobering and comforting all at once, and it gives us hope in something greater than this life!

The reason for this blog...

My mother, Janet Metzger, was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, in April of this year.  She is loved dearly by our outrageously large family and countless friends, and we thought a blog might be a good way for all of you to keep up with her. Mom is fighting this awful thing with new medicines and treatments, as well as with her unwavering faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We'll post updates about how mom is doing, what treatments she is undergoing, what she is cooking for dinner, you name it. We'll also link you to books mom is reading that are encouraging her in her faith, like "A Praying Life" by Paul Miller, which is re-teaching us both how to pray.  We hope that this will be an outlet for her to share what she is going through and what God is doing in her life through it, as well as a way for you to stay in touch with her and to know how to pray for her. More tomorrow, including the reason for the title. That is, if mom lets me go on with this!  Blessings-Shannon