The Night We Heard “Momma”: Jake’s Journey From Silence to Hope.
Every parent dreams of hearing their child call them "Mum" or "Dad." For most families, those words come naturally. For others, they become a dream that feels further away with every passing year.
The following is the story of our family's journey. It is not presented as proof that any treatment works for autism, nor should it be taken as a guarantee that another child will experience the same outcome as ours. Autism is a complex condition with many possible contributing factors, and every child is unique.
Five years ago our 9 year son Jake was diagnosed with autism, myself and my husband felt we had reached the end of the road.
For five exhausting years we travelled between doctors in three different countries. Every month seemed to bring another prescription, more blood tests, another specialist, another opinion, and yet another promise that never became reality.
Jake screamed for as many as six hours every day. He bit his two sisters and frequently became aggressive. His behaviour became so difficult that he had to be withdrawn from school after a few days. He wore diapers, avoided eye contact, and appeared disconnected from the world around him.
Simple everyday tasks became overwhelming.
Cutting his nails.
Cutting his hair.
Changing his diaper.
Bathing him.
Even trying to feed him often ended with food being thrown across the room or spat back out after only a few bites. Jake was completely non-verbal.
"I was exhausted and didn't know where to turn next."
Things changed when my sister bought me a copy of my book, Immune Health, Terrain and GcMAF. Written by Maryjayne Aria which had a huge chapter dedicated to Autism.
I admit that I had never heard of GcMAF and was highly sceptical. I also read Maryjaynes blog on autism and eventually arranged a consultation, Maryjayne said she no longer consulted about autism but i am persistant.
I recalls that she made no promises.
Instead, Maryjayne explained that autism is rarely simple and that every child has their own collection of contributing factors. She asked for Jake's complete history, beginning with pregnancy and continuing through every stage of his development.
Only after reviewing everything did she make recommendations.
Even then, I remained unconvinced.
But I also felt that I had nothing left to lose.
The protocol required far more than supplements. It required commitment and
diet changed completely.
Our daily routines changed.
Even the way we communicated with Jake changed. Maryjayne encouraged us to whisper instead of raising our voices during behavioural outbursts, and to use specific light-based therapy in a darkened room.
I admit that I thought these ideas sounded ridiculous. My husband Jake senior was equally doubtful. Nevertheless, we followed her recommendation, my husband took two weeks off work so they could work together consistently.
From the very first day of m oil, it noticeably calmed Jake. The aggressive outbursts were not completely eliminated, but I estimate around 90 percent of them disappeared.
The constant screaming stopped.
Later, GcMAF spray and cream were introduced as part of Jake's wider protocol.
Then came a moment neither me and my husband will never forget.
Five weeks into the programme.
Thursday morning. 3:08 AM. I woke to hear a small boys voice.
"Momma." Half asleep, I believed that I was dreaming. I opened her eyes. Jake was standing beside the bed. I had switched on the bedside lamp. For the first time since Jake was 3 years old, Jake looked directly into my eyes. Real eye contact. Jake began to gently stroke my face.
"Momma," he said again. My husband woke because of the light. Jake climbed across the bed towards him. Looking directly at his father, he smiled and said "Momma."
The room filled with tears and laughter.
Neither my husband or I could believe what was happening. Jake settled peacefully between us and fell asleep. Neither of us wanted to move. Neither my husband or I wanted the moment to end. We did fall asleep.
When the alarm rang at 6:30 that morning, Jake was gone. For a few minutes we wondered if we had somehow shared the same dream. Panic set in as Jake was not in his bedroom, We searched the house.
We found Jake quietly sitting in the playroom looking through The Very Hungry Caterpillar book. He looked up. Locked eyes with his father. And once again said. "Momma."
Three months later, Jake's vocabulary continues to grow. He now says "Dadda", "Momma", "poopoo" and "yum." He tolerates having his nails cut. He has had his first haircut at a barber. He rarely throws food.
He is much gentler with his sisters.
Most importantly, the distant expression that once filled Jake's eyes has disappeared.
We know our journey is far from over.
I do not describe what has happened as a cure. Instead, I call it something even more precious. Progress and Hope.
What Maryjayne gave us in three months is not a cure. It is hope and progress beyond anything we expected. I know Maryjayne always says she is only a teacher and that we did all the work, but we are grateful beyond words.
It has not been an easy three months. We had to change as parents as much as Jake had to change. It was hard, but every sacrifice has been worth it. We were wrong to doubt Maryjayne.
I wanted to share our story to encourage other parents never to give up hope. Read everything Maryjayne writes about autism, keep learning, keep asking questions, and never stop believing that progress is possible.
Important note: Our family's experience reflects our personal account. Maryjayne explaines Individual outcomes can differ substantially. There is no one size fitting all with autism, and interventions that help one child may not help another.
With gratitude,
Mel, Jake Junior and Jake Senior
