Why?

When things happen in life, we often wonder why. What was the reason? What caused it? When my son was diagnosed with Autism many moons ago I asked this a lot, always wondering if it was my fault.

My doctor never supplied me with a list of do’s and don’ts, nor did I ask for one. I was young, 18. I didn’t know anything about anything. I assumed that most of it was probably common sense anyway. Don’t drink, smoke, consume a ton of caffeine, eat ten cheeseburgers every day, etc.

I ate healthy, not organic, but healthy. However, there was one healthy food item that I later learned was a big no-no for pregnant mothers. Tuna fish, because of its high mercury levels. I didn’t know. How can fish be bad? It can. Although I can hardly stand that stuff now, while I was pregnant I ate a ton of it.

So after I found out just how bad tuna can be for babies, I put blame on myself for consuming it. Later down the road, I learned that a mother’s exposure to various toxins and chemicals can effect the fetus. When I was a child, my siblings and I were sprayed by a crop duster while playing out in a relative’s field. Was that the cause for my son’s autism? Tuna, crop dusting, or both? Maybe neither.

I’ve wondered a lot, but over the past few years I settled on the theory that it was likely my son’s father who was the holder of the gene. The reason being, because his other son has delays also. That was until yesterday.

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that effects certain parts of my body, including my central nervous system. That causes a whole host of problems, many of which are due to inflammatory cells running through my cerebrospinal fluid. But my issues are neither here nor there. This is about my son.

Yesterday I was reading an article that said “Women with autoimmune diseases are more likely to produce “antibrain antibodies,” which can attack the brain tissue of a fetus.” How comforting…antibrain antibodies. So maybe it was fault. Maybe it did come from me.

If so, how do I fix it? I’m not saying there’s anything “wrong” with my son. I love him just the way he is, but he has goals that he wants to reach. In order for him to reach those goals, there are many areas in which he must improve upon. That’s just a fact, can’t deny that.

There are many natural anti-inflammatory options to help reduce inflammation, some of which I use for myself. Now that I know that this issue may have been passed down to my son, I can try these options with him as well. Maybe it’ll help. Maybe it won’t. But, one never knows unless they try.

It’s hard when you don’t know why things happen. We all want an answer, a reason. Perhaps I’ll never find the answer, but that doesn’t mean that I have to stop looking. He’s my precious young man and he deserves the very best that life has to offer. He has big dreams, and regardless if it’s my fault or not, he won’t be denied the opportunity to reach them.

“Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.” ~ Dr. Dale E. Turner