My son Willy's recovery story! from Bipolar/ADHD

[Guest guest]

Dear Group:

 

I just received some unexpected news this weekend in regard to my

fifteen year old son William ( " Willy " ) Darman.

 

Yesterday I asked Willy if I could post his story on the net to help

other people. His immediate response was " Absolutely " . Then I asked

him if I should try to post his story anonymously, or should I use

his name. His immediate response was " Use my name. I will be a

witness " .

 

Willy just received four awards at his ninth grade graduation.

 

The four awards were for Effort in Math, Effort in Global Studies,

Effort in Earth Science, and the Principal's Award, which is the

most prestigious award given. (Only four kids out of about 200 or

so got this award, and each got a large medallion with their name

inscribed on the back.)

 

Willy, as some of you may remember from my prior posts in here, was

diagnosed at six years old as ADHD. This was a misdiagnosis, as his

clear bipolar onset was in the winter of 1997, at this same tender

age of six years old.

 

Willy has had to battle though some pretty serious bipolar symptoms

throughout his childhood, with all of their psychological

ramifications. In addition to this, he failed the third grade.

 

Willy was on Ritalin for about four and a half years. He actually

advocated for himself with both the school and his mother without my

intervention and got himself off Ritalin a little less than three

years ago. He was able to do this despite still showing substantial

learning impairment in regard to his ability to read.

 

Although Willy still has a serious reading impairment, and he still

goes to a special class for this, all of his other classes

are " normal " . His grade point average this year for all of his

classes is 89.99, just a smidgeon shy of being on the honor roll (90

is the cut off).

 

When Willy was about ten years old and we were taking a walk he said

to me " Mom tells me to do one thing and you tell me to do

another? " What should I do? " (His mother is allopathic in her

medical faith and I, his father, am clearly alternative in mine.

However, my ex-wife gained sole custody of our two sons in our

divorce and thus I had no input in their health decisions.) I first

said, " It's your body Willy, how you deal with this is really up to

you " ... and then I said " Willy, you are a pretty smart kid... you

will figure out the truth of this situation eventually " . Willy

paused for a second, thinking about what I had said, then he just

blurted out " I think Mom is full of s..t " .

 

(I just could not find it in my heart to scold Willy for this swear

word, in part due to the fact that he had " hit the nail right on the

head " in regard to my ex-wife's medical beliefs, and in part due to

the fact his delivery was so flawless. I had to really work not to

laugh, as I did not want to encourage a rift with his mother.)

 

Unfortunately, Willy then explained to me he was not ready to rock

the boat at home yet with his mother and take my suggestions, but

that he would let me know when he was. I certainly was very

disappointed with this answer. I had been dying to help my son for

years, but I knew that I had to let this go for now... and just

continue to wait... wait until Willy was ready for what I knew from

my bipolar recovery experience would greatly help him to get better.

 

A little less than two years ago my son made his own choice of

switching to alternative medicine. Willy finally said to me " I want

to do what you are doing, because I saw how much it helped you " .

He knew in saying this that it meant we had to sneak all of the

supplements that I gave to him into the house. Willy knew upfront

that he had to hide this whole thing from his mother, who was

adamantly against such a program of nutritional supplementation. He

also knew that I could conceivably face court action of some sort if

and/or when we got caught.

 

Willy and I continued to sneak around my ex-wife for about five

months, at which time we finally did get caught. This was

inevitable, and we both knew this from the start. However, when we

did get caught my ex-wife was wise enough to relent. She knew that

she could not take Willy's supplements away from him at this point

(December of 2004). The supplements that I had given him had just

done far too much to help him by then.

 

Willy went from almost zero supplementation for a number of years

prior (often just the tepid Flintstone multi-vitamin that my ex-wife

would allow) to " a shotgun approach of very substantial nutritional

supplementation " started almost overnight (in July 2004). I simply

made up dozens of individual supplements into zip lock baggies for

him to take. In addition to this, Willy took other supplements out

of various bottles I gave him (or that he bought). He also learned

rather quickly how to take various supplements and " make adjustments

accordingly " . This change in broad based essential nutrient intake

as a result of supplementation has had an absolutely profound effect

on Willy in the past 23 months, both mentally and physically.

 

For example, two years ago Willy could hardly bench press 60 lbs.

His physique was thin, not to mention he was much shorter than he is

now. Today, as a fifteen year old (16 in Sept.) that is about 5 " 7 "

and weighs 170 lbs., Willy can bench press 250 lbs. (He just broke

his old record of 240 lbs.) He also runs for 45 minutes on a

treadmill regularly, and does a host of other exercises as well.

Willy has a degree of physical strength that exceeds that of most

grown men... he's clearly a lot stronger than me vs. a lot weaker

only two years ago. And he is not yet 16, and he has yet to hardly

shave.

 

Incidentally, Willy's physical workouts do not seem that difficult

for him. The supplements that he took really helped to give him the

energy and the willingness to work out, and his substantial results

simply motivated him to continue to do so.

 

Shotgun nutritional supplementation across the entire essential

nutrient range (vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and free

form amino acids), along with a number of helpful cofactors, some

dietary changes (the few that we could do given the fact that I am a

non-custodial parent), some probiotics, digestive enzyme

intervention, etc. were one half of Willy's amazing metamorphosis,

and his own self discipline was the other half.

 

Willy is a worker. You don't need to push him to do what has to be

done... or push him to help either himself or other persons ever.

He does his best at all times. Willy is also caring, considerate,

compassionate, polite, respectful, and a good listener. Despite his

amazing achievements over these past two years he has no " big head "

or " big ego " at all. His is simply one good human being, with an

aura of wellness that really shows. (I cannot help but be so proud

of him.)

 

How many children in the U.S., with years of serious behavioral and

attention problems in elementary school, a history of Ritalin use,

failure in school (3rd grade), and the diagnosis of ADHD (which is

really bipolar in Willy) can say that they have moved on to win the

Principal's Award in ninth grade, and won three other academic

awards as well? (And the school that Willy attends is ranked one of

the better school systems in the U.S.)

 

Also, how many kids go from being a smaller child in their class

with no muscular physique to speak of to almost the strongest child

in their class within two years? God, I wish I had pictures.

 

(Willy tells me that only one other child is stronger than he is

with weights in his class, and this kid is over six foot in height

and much heavier than my son.)

 

In addition to this, how many kids go from having serious mood

instability and hyperactivity for years, to looking " rock solid

well " , as Willy does. He has an aura of health and inner

contentment that is rather obvious.

 

And all this simply from a very logical nutritional supplementation

regime that seems like only common sense, and a little effort on my

son's part.

 

The story of my son's change as a result of a proper conceptual

approach to ADHD/bipolar is absolutely huge, or so I think. I will

be expanding this story and reposting it across the net when I get

the chance.

 

My son is CURED! This is a cure that will only get better and

improve over time. But for all ostensible purposes, bipolar disorder

and ADHD are all over for him! He knows this, I know this, and the

school that Willy goes to knows that something very, very remarkable

happened here as well.

 

This is the power of what I have been trying to tell the world

without success for years. I have known for quite some time that I,

as an abject layman just fumbling around in the dark, may have found

answers that could help millions of persons some day. Based on my

experiences in attempting to be heard over the past six years or so,

I don't know whether these answers are going to be heard in my

lifetime or not. But don't worry... I will never give up trying...

until the day that God says to me that it is over... and that it is

time for me to rest and to struggle no more.

 

Thank You William Darman, for trusting your father when I told you a

baggie loaded with about thirty individual ingredients was " OK " to

take all at once two years ago when we first started this stuff...

 

And Thank You for continuing to listen to my guidance since...

 

And Thank You for having the work ethic to have made something solid

out of the sacrifices that I made to keep you supplied with

supplements when I could, and for helping out by chipping in

hundreds of dollars of your own hard earned money willingly without

any thought of recompense whatsoever when my dough came up a little

short...

 

Son, I sure thank you from the bottom of my heart. Perhaps some day

the world may find the wisdom to thank you too... for the amazing

recovery from bipolar disorder/ADHD that you worked so steadily at

for almost two solid years to achieve in yourself.

 

Congratulations Willy! You really did what you set out to do two

years ago! You cured yourself! And I feel deeply honored to have

been a little help.

 

 

Allen Darman