Zac’s Story

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By Virginia Pillsbury

“If your child is diagnosed with autism, it’s not a death sentence,” says Sara Gomez, mother of seven-year-old Zac. “Once you accept the diagnosis, it’s all about love, persistence and determination. And buckling up for the ride.”
Gomez knows well of what she speaks; Zac was diagnosed with autism at age three. “Think of your journey as a road map. Everyone will get there; some will just take different routes.”

Gomez says that she first noticed differences with her son by age one. “There was nothing alarming, but there were some things that made me wonder,” she remembers. Her pediatrician reassured her that there was nothing wrong and encouraged her to give it time.

Next came the obsession with strollers. Gomez even brought a stroller in for her pediatrician to observe Zac’s fascination. “She told me that he was just being a boy,” says Gomez. “She also told me that I had it in my head that Zac had autism and he didn’t. I cried tears of joy all the way home,” she recalls. Gomez pushed the worries under the rug and she, Zac and her husband Charles moved to Jacksonville.

At a child’s birthday party a friend approached her and asked if Zac had been evaluated for autism. “She told me that she was seeing Zac do things that her own son with autism did,” remembers Gomez, who took Zac to a developmental psychologist and, within two minutes of observing Zac, said that she was fairly sure he was on the autism spectrum.

The official diagnosis: moderate autism. “Trust your instincts as a mom,” urges Gomez.

“Zac never had a vocabulary but he stopped using the few words he did have. He also lost some skills and he stopped making noise,” remembers his mom. Opening and closing doors, flipping light switches and working gears were his big focuses.

“Now ceiling fans are his ultimate obsession,” says Gomez. “He knows where every fan in town is and Lowe’s and Home Depot are his favorite outings.”

Gomez and her husband did a lot of autism research and their first step was to control his diet. “We found that a gluten free diet makes a huge difference for Zac,” says Gomez, though she notes that not all children are affected by such a diet change. Avoiding dairy products also helps. “We’ve also started supplemental treatments with probiotics and vitamins and that has made a humongous difference as well,” she says.

Zac attends speech therapy and occupational therapy at Brooks Rehabilitation. “We were so glad to find Jodi Morgan (Zac’s speech therapist) and have been with her ever since. She is an awesome therapist. We also did a lot of reading and meeting other families with autistic kids,” says Sara. “By the time he was three years old he was in the public school’s early intervention preschool program. That allows him to learn to socialize and start his journey in school.” Applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapists come to the house once a week to work with Zac; they hope to save enough money for Zac to attend the Jacksonville School for Autism next year where he will receive intensive ABA therapy daily.”

The latest addition to his treatment is a Golden Retriever. “Vega is an autism service dog and she helps Zac with his high sensory needs,” says Gomez. Zac is also a flight risk – he wanders – and Vega helps keep that at bay. “He holds onto her handle and waits for us,” says Gomez. “She is a great companion and stimulates a lot of language for him.”

The Gomez family also has a strong support group of friends who are also living with autism. “It can be hard to be with families who have kids developing normally so you find yourself migrating towards those families with whom you do not have to explain.”

They’ve also created a website, http://www.carlieshero.com. “Carlie is Zac’s three year old sister and Zac is her hero,” explains Gomez. The website is a place for people to go and get information and support regarding autism. “You are overwhelmed at first with the diagnosis – your dreams change in that second,” recalls Gomez. “And gradually you accept and learn to love your child for whom they are and not who you hoped they would be.”

Gomez chooses to focus on the positive with her son. “I have yet to meet a child as happy as my child. He doesn’t have a care in the world.”

Click here to learn more about the autism spectrum.

May Moments and Milestones

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By Virginia J. Pillsbury

Now that we have six children, the milestones and moments that grab my heart seem to compound.

Sometimes my head is a blur with the action of their lives.

This week our daughter Leslie safely arrived in Haiti where she will serve on a mission team for the next ten days. Meanwhile Allison (who returned from Uganda two weeks ago) is in a flurry of packing for her move next week to graduate school at University of North Carolina. Our daughter Jennifer and her husband Bill are negotiating the buying of their first home in Nashville. Our daughter Margie is negotiating a good night’s sleep with her night owl little boys. And Mitchell is finishing up the first year of his master’s degree with writing papers, grading papers and surviving on about as much sleep as Margie is getting.

In the midst of these moments, our son Shane is addressing his high school graduation announcements. I can’t wait to see where his next steps will take him. Each of our other children has carved a unique life path; I know that Shane will too.

I was certainly never as adventurous or daring as my children have been with their international travels, following educational dreams and heeding the call to serve those in need. They raise my awareness about so many important issues and I am grateful to them for all that they teach me about grasping life and living it well.

Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month: Heartburn can Cause Cancer

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It sounds unbelievable but heartburn and acid reflux can cause esophageal cancer, and once diagnosed there is only a 17 percent chance of survival. “It is a devastating cancer,” says Vikram Gopal, M.D. gastroenterologist at the Borland-Groover Clinic.

The rate of esophageal cancer is increasing in the United States. “There is an increase of acid reflux in this country which is a result of our culture of ‘super-sizing,’” Dr. Gopal says. “Fifty percent of the U.S. population is obese or overweight based on studies by the Centers for Disease Control. And overeating can cause a significant increase in acid reflux,” he adds.

Chronic acid reflux can then lead to precancerous changes in the esophagus known as Barrett’s Esophagus and, left untreated, can lead to esophageal cancer. Called a silent killer because if left untreated the symptoms can go away as a result of the changes in the esophageal tissue; the patient thinks the problem is solved when, in reality, cancer is silently developing.

Mindy Mintz Mordecai founded the Esophageal Cancer Action Network after her husband died from esophageal cancer. “Most people don’t know that they have esophageal cancer until the day that they can’t swallow,” she says. “Because it is a condition that starts with a precursor, the pre-cancerous Barrett’s Esophagus, it can be cured if found when still in the Barrett’s Esophagus form. That is critical for people to know because our goal is to save lives,” she says.

Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) include:
• heartburn or burning in chest
• regurgitation
• chest pain
• nausea after eating
• sour taste in mouth
• coughing, choking or wheezing
• difficulty swallowing,
• hiccups
• belching or burping excessively,
• hoarseness or change in voice
• sore throat
• feeling that food is stuck behind the breastbone.

Mordecai says that in most cases these symptoms are more likely to occur or become worse at night. Symptoms are increased by bending, stooping, lying down or eating and are temporarily relieved by antacids.

While esophageal cancer can occur at any age, screening should be targeted for Caucasian and Hispanic males who are 50 years or older, and who have an elevated body mass index.

“Barrett’s Esophagus can be treated with thermal ablation, photodynamic therapy, cryoablation and endoscopic mucosal resection,” says Dr. Gopal. And according to Lisa R. Bichsel, Director of Marketing – GI Solutions, Covidien, if Barrett’s Esophagus is diagnosed early it can be treated successfully and esophageal cancer can be avoided. “We have treated with more than 100,000 procedures and our ablation technology is safe and effective. It is a treatment that lasts,” says Bichsel. “But it is important to get screened,” she says. Screening methods for esophageal cancer include imaging, barium swallow test, upper endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound or bronchoscopy.

“We want to prevent esophageal cancer and that is why it is so important to discuss your acid reflux issues with your doctor,” says Dr. Gopal.