Our Founder's Story
Mary Ann Lovett
It
is difficult to ferret out the exact influences in one’s life
that have led us to our pause at this particular place. Finding
myself as the executive director of Kenkou, Inc. makes me query whether
it was as basic as my father’s influence. When I was
a child back in the 1940’s, he was the Chief Legal Counsel
for the Bureau of Narcotics. In this role he was often dealing with
the fledgling but already powerful drug companies. In our home
we had a large tome that contained all the various side effects and
warnings for all the pharmaceuticals of the day. As a result,
medication was a last resort when we were ill. Or perhaps the
impact of the history of my parents dying when they were both 61
years of age; but my grandparents lived into their 90’s and
100’s has caused this focus. What could have caused that
difference in longevity? Or that my brother, Tom DeBaggio was
diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease when he was 58 years old
and he subsequently has been a spokesperson and author revealing
the unraveling of his mind and the jolt it is making for those near
to him.
But probably
even more profound was our personal events of 1992. Our daughter,
age 13, was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and our son, 8 years
old, was determined to be dyslexic. I was filled with guilt,
sadness, anger, ignorance, and gloom. My reaction to the situation
is probably familiar to some.
Our pediatric
gastroenterologist told us that healing seemed to be tied to attitude
and the ability to deal with stress. He didn’t discourage
any attempt to correct the Crohn’s disease, including drinking
aloe vera juice, as long as we continued the medications he had prescribed. He
encouraged our young daughter to be in charge of her health, indicating
it was up to her to watch her diet, to take the medications, and
to work at focusing on all the good within her body. Even at
her young age, she did assume responsibility for her healing. She
never needed to be reminded to take her medication, or to get a good
night’s sleep, or to be positive
that she would fare well even with discomfort.
Our son worked with
a Speech and Language Pathologist. Not just on sounds, spelling,
reading, and writing, but also she let him know that a disability
didn’t mean “no ability”. Rather
it meant that he had to use more energy and focus to accomplish what
others could achieve easily. She found his strengths and complimented
him often on those. He developed empathy with classmates. He
began to realize that every person had his or her own struggles,
which can create a sense of isolation. He wished some things were
easier, but he welcomed every challenge.
Our daughter, who as a teenager
was required to have frequent doctor’s
visits, colonoscopies, and other difficult tests decided to enter
the medical field. She chose to be an Osteopathic physician. When
I challenged her on why she was rejecting a traditional allopathic
MD, she said that she was interested in a more holistic approach. She
recognized from her own malady that there was more to treatment than
just chemicals and surgery. She often stated how important it had
been to deal with the emotional side of an incurable problem even
if it wasn’t immediately life-threatening.
While our daughter
was a student at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, I developed
osteo-arthritis and she recommended that I visit with her mentor,
Dr. Jan Hendryx, at his office. She
thought that he could eliminate pain and restore flexibility by using
osteopathic manipulation and acupuncture. She was correct. In
two treatments we had eliminated pain and I had regained movement. Dr.
Hendryx published a book, The Healer’s Touch,
which increased my interest in non-traditional approaches and convinced
me that complementary and integrative approaches were beneficial
ways to heal our dis-eases.
These influences and experiences propelled
me to search for integrative avenues for helping a wider range of
our dis-orders and dis-eases. Only
with knowledge of every option available, including alternative and
non-traditional approaches, can one judge the proper path to healing. Kenkou
was launched to educate individuals to a wider range of possibilities
for achieving good health and well-being. When we assess all
choices, we can confidently make health decisions. When we
have only limited or no exposure to treatments, we are not able to
discern the best preference for action. We need to consult
experts, but we need to decide our own journey toward healing and
Kenkou (well being). We should oblige ourselves to be informed
and empowered to be responsible for our health. |
