People Who Get #$%& Done
By Katie Wright
You know people who can really get #$% done?
People who are organized, efficient and do not tolerate obstacles in their path?
The kind of people who set seemingly crazy high goals and then actually follow through and achieve them?
Well I am not one of them and I suspect neither are all of you. That is OK! Listen we all have our own strengths. If I can make sure Christian gets his GABA and 5HTP before bed I am at the top of my game.
At AutismOne we saw incredible ASD parents Jen VandDerHorst and Mark Blaxill getting some amazing $#%^ done.
Jen is the proud mother of an extremely hard working, severely affected young boy with autism. Jen has her own business, which needless to say is a full time job. In her spare time, Jen co-founded an autism treatment center for ASD kids in MN as well as co-founding our beloved Canary Party. In her spare, spare time Jen has worked tirelessly to establish relationships between the autism community and congressional leaders. On behalf of the Canary Party Jen traveled all over the country (again in her “spare” time and with her own $) meeting congresspeople and spending time with their staffs.
Mark Blaxill has two lovely young adult daughters, the younger of whom has autism. Mark co-founded SafeMinds and the Canary Party. Mark has spent his career as a very successful business management consultant. In his “spare” time Mark traveled the country researching and writing his seminal book, co authored with Dan Olmsted, “Age of Autism.” Like Jen, Mark does a great deal of government advocacy at IACC our behalf. In his spare, spare time Mark works tirelessly behind the scenes reading and decoding all autism research literature, and I mean all of it. Mark traveled extensively (with his own $, naturally) while persuading Congressional leaders to come to AutismOne meet our families.
Jen and Mark said that the Chief of the Government Oversight Committee, Representative Darrell Issa was coming to AutismOne. "Right," I thought! So is Francis Collins. Ha! Keep dreaming!
Like many of you I was already blown away by the fact they had gotten some of greatest congresspeople to attend: Representative Dan Burton (a superhero!), Former Representative Dave Weldon, a rare physician not afraid of the truth and not afraid to stand up for ASD families, Representative Posey, Poul Thorsen’s worst enemy, an amazing cross examiner (Wow I would want Posey on my side in a courtroom) and outstanding autism advocate. So that is a pretty impressive list, I mean were you really expecting more? I wasn’t.
Jen has a great sense of humor and is something of a joker so I asked others if Chairman Issa really was speaking at AutismOne. He was! You remember Chairman Issa, he lead last year’s groundbreaking congressional autism hearing, the first in 10 yrs.
Chairman Issa is a pretty busy man. His committee was simultaneously holding hearings on Benghazi and the IRS yet Issa wanted to come to Chicago to talk to AutismOne families. Did I mention that Issa’s district is in California? So Issa lives half the time in DC, half the time in CA but made time to come all the way to Chicago over Memorial Day weekend?
Chairman Issa gave an incredible, heart felt, impassioned speech about the need for government transparency at the NIH and the CDC. As he was speaking I was thinking to myself, “didn’t President Obama promise his would be the most transparent administration? So stop dragging your heels and process those Freedom of Information Requests before we all grow old and die.” Issa also related how many similarities he noticed between those with traumatic brain injury and autism. TBI is not a genetic disease. We are all born with certain genetic vulnerabilities yes, but it takes a powerful environmental trigger to cause a neurological catastrophe.
By the way I did invite the entire leadership of the Autism Treatment Network to AutsimOne. Dr. Dan Coury and Dr. Clara Lajournchere have been leading this government funded NIH initiative for 7 yrs. They did not respond to my invitation. It is a shame they were not there.
There is a spectrum on the get $%^ done for the autism community continuum. There is Jen, Mark, Becky Estepp, Candace MacDonald, Jenny McCarthy, and the Arrangas (thank you for a mind-blowing conference!) on one end. Me, you and regular families at A1 are in the middle. I mean we had to take time off work and/or find money to pay for the trip and find money to pay for the childcare while we would be away. It is a logistical nightmare. One the bottom of the spectrum are the usual suspects at the CDC and assorted unelected bureaucrats at the NIH. While these people are debating the merits of the 1,000th learn the signs campaign, and the 2,000th face gazing study Jen and Mark were actually making something of consequence happen.
Thanks to Jen and Mark I am inspired to visit my local congressional and senatorial offices and ask for their help securing some hard to acquire autism information….So many questions, so few answers, but like you, I am not going anywhere. Let’s get some good $%^& done. Anyone have any suggestions for information to request?Katie Wright is Contributing Editor to Age of Autism.
Katie,
Not a criticism but you left out a group of people, perhaps the largest group of all. The tens of thousands of families dealing with autism who will never be able to go to a convention. Who have trouble coming up with the funds for gas to drive to an appointment for their child let alone fly to another state. They have been denied or dropped by insurance companies and are left on their own. Their doctors either know nothing about treatments or are lying or misleading parents, but either way they are left in the dark. Many of these people are people that get #$%^ done, but on a smaller scale. Some could be a tornado of action for the cause if they had the means. They are dependent on our heroes to blaze the trail.
It is in fact thanks to the people you cited that everyone has a chance to see the information out there, to know despite their own circumstances that thankfully there are those out there fighting the good fight for us and our voiceless children. Hopefully all us po folk come in higher than alphabet agency douchebags!
Money doesn't by happiness, they say, but I can tell you it sure comes in handy and not having it can bring despair and hopelessness. It seems today that things are happening, eyes are being opened, I would like to see an effort to bring all these people together, a format or organization inclusive of all. We might be surprised at what a million soldiers with a cause can do. Facebook brought about a revolution in Egypt, but we are scattered about in hundreds of different facebook pages and organizations. There are thousands ready to step up and help out in other ways but no one is asking. And unfortunately new heroes are popping up every day because more children are being damaged.
Not sure how to fix it, but I believe the time is now!
Thanks Katie, I would put you right there with those you so highly praised. Thanks for all you do!
Posted by: Kendra | July 17, 2013 at 08:19 PM
I think as long as the general public is unaware of the basic facts about vaccines we will continue to lose this battle, basic facts like the makers of vaccines started refusing to stand behind their products after several children died within minutes in the 1980's after being vaccinated & in the 1980's children only got 8 to 10 vaccines by school age, now they get about 36 vaccines by school age, after the children died from their vaccination in the 1980's the drug companies went to the Government and demanded they give them liability protection and they did, so now if your child is killed or injured by a vaccine the parents have to try to sue the Federal Government and if you think City Hall is hard to sue the Federal Government is even harder and you cannot have a Jury, you have to go before a judge appointed by the court.
If our children must have vaccines to go to school we owe it to them to have the safest vaccines possible and to know the health outcome of those who are vaccinated and those who are not vaccinated and if the drug companies refuses to stand behind their product, then our children should not be forced to take their product just to go to school.
If anyone knows of a organization that is working to get the basic facts out to the general public through radio or TV ads please let me know I WILL contribute.
Posted by: Jeff Ransom | July 10, 2013 at 06:13 PM
Lisa,
As for the autism rate "still rising" I think this will help.
check out my article from 2009:
http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/07/thimerosal-and-autism-rates-a-minnesota-perspective.html
Thimerosal and Autism Rates: A Minnesota Perspective
Look at the 2nd graph that highlights the number of kids born before 2003 but diagnosed AFTER 2003.
Up to that time nearly a full two thirds of the kids dignosed with autism after 2003 were kids who recieved mercury preserved vaccines.
We are still keeping track of the IDEA data but the State of Minnesota has changed their reporting methods to make it more challenging to extend the graph.
We are however, noticing that the rate of dignosis of kids born 2004 in Minnesota and beyond HAVE BEEN DROPPING. Not necessarily significantly but any drop after years of remarkable increases it is a big deal.
Posted by: Tim Kasemodel | July 09, 2013 at 06:03 PM
Lisa, I think that mercury is one of the causes but not the only cause. For years parents have reported autistic regression after the MMR, which has never contained mercury/thimerosal. It seems that neuroinflammation/autoimmunity can cause autism. Vaccines may overstimulate the immune system in a way that sets up chronic inflammation in the brain and/or autoimmunity to nerves in susceptible people.
And vaccines are one of the sources of mercury, but not the only source. Environmental mercury has been increasing at the same time as mercury in vaccines has decreased. And mercury is not totally eliminated from vaccines.
Posted by: Twyla | July 09, 2013 at 10:41 AM
Bob Moffitt,
It is the same question I have asked the Federal Government, the State Government and our Local Shire Council.
We have a Federal election here in Australia on the 14th September. For the last two weeks I have inundated all parties with the question; "What are you going to do about Autism and the vaccine issue?" I am yet to receive a reply.
Elizabeth Gillespie
Posted by: AussieMum | July 08, 2013 at 10:13 PM
First I want to thank all the the above mentioned for what I consider truly heroic work on behalf of children, their families, and society at large. As an adult with a diagnosis of ASD and a very similar biological profile to the children injured later, I am wondering if the numbers are really going up or down and what exactly is happening with the mercury issue. My symptoms have improved slowly but almost miraculously from chelation. I think I would have to say that my case most likely was mercury caused. So why are the numbers still rising, I guess is my question? Is it environmental mercury in some cases, flu shots or another issue entirely and my situation is really not biochemically related? Not sure of this and I wish anyone with more information or A of A could look into it more. I had horrible symptoms which are now just somewhat bad. Chelation did make the difference although I had to be on a GFCF diet for 20 years prior and lots of vitamins just to be able to get from day to day. On testing I have had almost identical ASD markers to many children who are sick today.
Posted by: Lisa | July 08, 2013 at 06:14 PM
If I Get his gut flora and his pro-biotics followed my MB12-Nasal I have won the lottery..I sleep that night...Thanks to all the rest who do more I just cant fit it in,,,
Angus
Posted by: IAngus Files | July 08, 2013 at 05:09 PM
Thanks, Katie, for these well-deserved kudos to some of the hardest-working autism advocates in the country. As you have stated, they have devoted countless volunteer hours seeking the truth about autism's cause and treatment. They deserve our support. And they deserve our engagement in the advocacy process.
At the bottom of the "get $%^ done" autism community continuum are the sell-out researchers, the blinkered doctors, the reality-averse parents, the blacklisting media, and the pharmaceutical insiders avoidant of relatives and friends whose children reacted adversely to vaccines.
Not enough people are doing the work necessary to change the failed autism paradigms in medicine, government, education, media and other social arenas. I understand that many parents are overwhelmed, but ending the autism epidemic requires participation by all to whatever degree they are reasonably capable.
Posted by: nhokkanen | July 08, 2013 at 03:06 PM
I get my inspiration from the rest of you. Parents who continue with helping their own kids, telling the truth, asking the right questions, and collectively helping the rest of society's kids- real altruism. Accomplishing much more than the clowns who are paid to take care of society's children. At times, I have done a lot for the community. Other times, I am coasting on the momentum of the rest of you. But I am paying close attention to what is happening, even when coasting.
Posted by: beth johnson | July 08, 2013 at 02:23 PM
I’m on my way to the IACC, with the ...3-minute statement... I will be allowed to make. Less than half an hour has been scheduled for discussion of public comments, so as usual what parents have to say will be ignored.
You have it right Eileen... For 30 minutes, they only "listen to the parents" and certainly do not have to answer any parent questions directly as that would take too much effort and there is no where for them to hide...
Exactly how much is Dr. Insel paid to run the IACC / "International Association of Conspiracy and Crime" ???
Posted by: cmo | July 08, 2013 at 01:56 PM
Katie,
You're so right! (No pun intended.)
My personal opinion is that IACC was created to cover up autism. They attest to the fact that the epidemic is real. They're just not going to do anything about it.
The difference between us and them is that Jen, Mark, and others in the autism community care about what's happen to our children. Folks like Thomas Insel (IACC) and Coleen Boyle (CDC) don't. The consequences of what the medical community is doing to children is too horrible for them to consider.
Anne Dachel, Media
Posted by: Anne Dachel | July 08, 2013 at 01:33 PM
Hi,
I feel a responsibility to get some #$%^ done in the near future because we are out of the cleaning up #$% phase. ( now if we could just get out of the no ______ sleep stage maybe that would happen ). he he Mostly I just want to show people its not hopeless, fix the problems and watch your child get better. Right now we are waiting on the PANDAS test results. Hope this will give us a direction for treatments. If our government had half the bravery that the parents of children affected had, this epidemic would be over. I don't think we can count on them for ANYTHING.
I used believe in my country but now I must believe in my instincts and try to help my child, NO ONE ELSE WILL. Too many jobs, egos, and $$$ on the line, so they must keep the pain and
suffering going. They can't give in or their lives/jobs...everything crumbles. We are living that already, our lives were blown to pieces when " autism " began and now we have to claw our way to health and some kind-of a normal life.
Posted by: Theresa 66 | July 08, 2013 at 11:41 AM
Thank you so much, Katie, and all who get $#%^ done!
Posted by: Twyla | July 08, 2013 at 11:02 AM
I’m on my way to the IACC, with the 3-minute statement I will be allowed to make. Less than half an hour has been scheduled for discussion of public comments, so as usual what parents have to say will be ignored.
I can’t seem to get rid of the anger I felt when Dr. Guttmacher at the congressional hearing last November reported that progress is painfully slow in efforts to uncover the cause of the autism epidemic. Why can’t these effete members of the IACC bear to have discussions with parents?
My son is 50 years old now, and I have spent most of my life looking at all available evidence on the neurological basis for language development. Nuclei in the auditory pathway are especially susceptible to injury from toxic exposures and oxygen insufficiency in the perinatal period. Maturation of the language areas of the brain depends upon intact function of the subcortical auditory system.
If members of the IACC believe this is so unimportant, why can’t they provide the evidence? Developmental language disorder should have been understood decades ago, based on evidence in the medical literature available for the last half century
Posted by: Eileen Nicole Simon | July 08, 2013 at 09:23 AM
If it were up to me .. every politician already in office or running for elective office in Federal, State or Local legislatures would be asked:
"Who should decide what vaccines a child receives? The child's elected representative .. or .. the child's parents."
If they can't answer that basic question correctly .. they don't deserve the privilege of "serving the people".
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | July 08, 2013 at 06:09 AM