Sara Mannix

A born leader, she never doubts herself, she’s carefree and self confident.  Even in Kindergarten, she didn’t mind sitting on the bus alone, she had a plan - she’d bring her Pokemon cards and trade with others in other seats.  At 8 years old, she’s met a few “fickle” friends, and when the fickle friend is not a friend, she’s completely unfazed moving right onto someone who does care.  I’m proud of my Julia, she is kind, thoughtful, a leader, laughs easily and is so smart and utterly assured.

You shower my face with kisses, you snuggle into my arms whenever they are free and you rush to bear hug me when we’ve only been apart for hours. Sean you are my affectionate one. You love to kiss my eyes, hold my hand, be held like a little monkey with your face snug in my neck, even your eyes shower me with love.

“Don’t you want to be healthy and happy?” I ask Nina as she refuses the broccoli, “Healthy don’t make me happy – being with mommy every day all the days makes me happy” Nina responds and it’s true, in her world there is nothing better than being with mom. Even friends pale in comparison to time spent alone with mom.

You don’t even care what we do, you are happy to play alone in my company even if I’m working. You have a proximity alarm and if I’m not near it goes off. “Mommy where are you?” You are almost five and refuse to become a big girl, so different from Julia who just couldn’t wait to be a big girl! I spoil you and coddle you, there is no doubt. You don’t want to go to pre-school, everyday, you ask if you can have a mommy day instead or if I’ll pick you up early (before the 1pm naptime instead of at 2:30 or 3). You are my baby and I love you.

It’s amazing really that I believe in anything at all. I’m the ultimate “doubting Thomas”. I have to see to believe and in this I’ve seen, so as odd as it sounds I believe in Shelbe. Add me to her cult, call me nuts and even I would doubt what I believe should I not have experienced this.

Both Sean and Julia are in-vitro miracle babies. I didn’t believe it would affect their health. But I spent most of the first 5 years of motherhood in the pediatrician’s office with constipation, allergies, sinus infections, ear infections, the flu, colds, bugs and what not. I joked that I should have my own personal room at the doctor’s office. There was rarely a day that we went without antibiotics, inhalers or some form of medicines in our house. Julia’s tummy pains were so bad and so frequent that I was sure she had some incurable disease. She kept us awake all night - many, many nights with her coughing – she was allergic to dust mites and had severe seasonal allergies and coughed and choked all night. We looked into the cost of removing all carpeting and replacing it with hardwoods in the house or even in her room but it was not in the budget that year.

Then we met Shelbe… I was warned “she only eats organic”… I didn’t even know what organic was, that movement had not hit NY yet. She was at our home for just fifteen minutes and she looked at Sean and asked about his history (he couldn’t speak well at 2 years old). I explained that he couldn’t talk as he had many ear infections as a child, everything he heard sounded like others were speaking under water. Then I added that we got tubes. To which Shelbe said “and now he has sinus infections” I was surprised, “Yes”… She looked at Sean and said, I believe he’s allergic to milk. May I test him? Then she did something crazy, she had him hold milk and tested his muscle’s reaction to the milk in his hands with her fingers and concluded. Yes, he’s allergic to milk.

Shelbe then asked me about Julia and I told her that she was on allergy meds and some type of diuretic. Shelby asked if I thought that was normal. I said I don’t know what’s normal. I give her prunes and prune juice daily, only feed her heavy fiber breads and nothing makes a difference. She suggested we shop together the next day. I admit, I didn’t really believe her but I bought what she suggested. I though the organic “nutrition movement” was a lot of hype. But I did what she said. Sean’s constant drooling stopped, his nose no longer dripped, Julia stopped crying about her tummy pains and the constant coughing all night long stopped.

Even still, doubting Thomas that I am, I could not believe, I had to test it. A few weeks later, we gave Sean milk… we replaced Ezekiel Bread with soft wheat bread and saw all the old symptoms come back… ok, ok, I’m convinced (sort of) and I go back to all that she taught - healthy fats: avocados, nuts, coconut and olive oils, eggs, raw milks and cheeses, grass fed beef, free range chickens, fertile eggs and raw dairy, quinoa, organ meats, kefir, yogurt, flax, limit sugar. It’s so foreign from what I’m used to…. But it works. We are not sick, Julia doesn’t cough, Sean’s constant nose drip and sinus infections disappear. We are healthy, three years without being sick for more than a day.

Yes, I believe in the gift that Shelbe has. When we first met, she told me she had a “gift”, I never met anyone who thought they had a gift who wasn’t lying or crazy. But I have now. I do believe she’s a gifted healer, through knowledge yes, but a gift and I believe this gift and it has shaped who I am - a bit of a nutrition freak in upstate NY where cheetos and Capri Suns rule.

Kristina is going to marry Sean - he is the only boy for her, Sean is going marry Katie - she is only girl for her. Cousin Katie wants to marry Sean.