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Liquid Hope:

A DaughtersLove

by Robin Gentry McGee

Iam the only girl in a family of three boys and have always

been what one would call a daddys girl. I cannot ever

remember a time in my life when I did not think my dad

hung the moon. He was an amazing musician. He turned

down a record and touring contract when we four kids werestill small because he did not want to uproot our family. In

later years, he moved toward his other passion and became a

full-time minister.

In 2005, he had all but retired, and he and my mother were liv-

ing in Michigan. I remember that year distinctly. On February 22,

two days before my birthday, I received a phone call from my

brother. He said that my father had slipped on ice and fallen.

As a result, my father had suered a very severe traumatic braininjury (or a TBI) and was being rushed into emergency surgery.

The doctors said there would be little chance of his surviving

the surgery, and he had even less of a chance of being in any-

thing more than a vegetative state if he were to pull through.

Upon receiving the news, my husband and I rushed from our

home in Ohio to Michigan, where we spent the next six weeks

waiting for my father to regain consciousness. At some point

throughout this ordeal, I began to realize that what his medi-cal doctors were oering gave us little hope. His prognosis was

grim. I began to research TBI and dug out every piece of infor-

mation I could nd on alternative treatments and options. It

was only after we conducted much research and used tools

that we did not nd through normal medical care that my dad

nally came out of the coma. Our excitement was short lived,

however, as he had suered many secondary complications

while in the hospital.

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One day while sitting at my dads bedside, out of sheer bore-

dom, I picked up a can of formula the nurses had been dili-

gently pouring down dads feeding tube four times a day for

the last 18 months. When I read the label, I realized there was

nothing in the formula that would heal him. It was balanced,

and it met all the RDA requirements. However, as the only thing

my father was getting in the way of nutrition, the formula wasprobably barely sustaining him.

I knew I had to help my father. I had spent the past 20 years

working in the health food industry, and because of this, I had

always been drawn to the more holistic side of medicine. I

decided to research the healing properties of food. I searched

the Internet, libraries, and health food stores for information on

alternative healing for TBI.

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During my research, I came across

a book titled Healing with WholeFoods by Paul Pitchford. I was a

bit overwhelmed by the size of

the book but encouraged by the

fact that it contained information

about brain damage. I purchased

it, and once I began reading, I could not put it down. The infor-

mation was amazing; the way Mr. Pitchford used food for heal-

ing resonated deeply with me. I felt as though I had come home.

I immersed myself in Healing with Whole Foods and started todevelop a meal replacement formula for my fathers feeding

tube. It would include not only the foods Mr. Pitchford recom-

mended for brain damage but also those that would address

my fathers many secondary conditions.

This was the beginning of my love aair with food as medicine. I

was quite familiar with whole foods, but my mission helped metruly realize their power. There were foods that would clear mucus

from my fathers lungs, foods to help with his failing renal system,

and foods to guard against his constant urinary tract infections.

One day, during a visit to my acupuncturist, I told her about

the fascinating book I had found and how it had inspired me

to put together a meal replacement formula for my father.

She revealed that she, too, had the book, and had wanted to

study with Pitchford for years. She told me that he taught at an

institute in northern California. I immediately reached out toMr. Pitchford and set up an appointment with him.

The consultation would change the course of my career and ulti-

mately my life. Not only did Mr. Pitchford guide me in selecting

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healing foods to use in the new formula, but he

also became one of my greatest teachers.

The most dicult part of creating the formula

which we called Liquid Hopewas nding a

medical doctor who would support me. I was

fortunate enough to nd Dr. Deepak Sarwal, a

western-trained internist who was open to alter-native methods of healing. Dr. Sarwal let me try

the formula, beginning by replacing the old formula once a

day. Gradually we replaced each of the old-formula feedings

with Liquid Hope.

The dierence in my father was unbelievable. At the begin-

ning of this process, my dad was barely conscious as he was

wheeled into the doctors exam room on a gurney. Six weeks

later, he returned to the same doctor, this time sitting up in

a wheelchair, his big brown eyes and his smile both shiningbrightly. After that visit, I received a phone call from the doctor.

It is a miracle what you have done for your father, he said. No,

I replied, It is simply nutrition.

As my father continued to receive Liquid Hope, I realized that

there were a lot of other people suering needlessly who

could benet from the formula. I am in the process of bringing

it to the market as an organic whole foods meal replacement.

Weekly I receive phone calls or emails from peo-

ple who have heard my fathers story and want

Liquid Hope for their loved ones.

My father ultimately succumbed to his death as a

result of internal bleeding. I am so grateful that I

was able to be with him during his last days and

that I could use my skills and training to add tohis quality of life in a very real way. Sometimes

our greatest gifts in life arise out of our greatest pain. Through

this experience, my father validated my belief that food can be

used to heal, and for that validationand for all the other gifts

he gave meI am truly grateful. cm

Robin Gentry McGee is a whole oods che

and holistic health coach. She has just com-

pleted her frst book (not yet published) A Turnfor the Worst about her journey with her ather

through the care o his traumatic brain injury. For more inorma-

tion about Robin preparing meal replacements or your loved one,

contact Robin at unctionalormularies@gmail.com. Robin and

NYC-based registered dietician Lynn Goldstein will work together

to create a meal replacement program that will enhance the lie o

anyone on meal replacement therapies. For general inormation

about Robin and her services, go to www.jstgreatoods.com.

Weekly I receive phone calls or emailsfrom people who have heard my fathers story andwant Liquid Hope for their loved ones.

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