Marlowe Autumn is one amazing little girl. She is the sunshine in our life. So far, we are trying everything we can to help support her & help her to thrive. The reason for this fundraiser is to help cover the costs that insurance doesn’t: Marlowe’s Holistic Nutritionist, Anna Penick @ Selah Wellness, Holistic Wellness doc Dr. Jorge Moreno @ Optimal Wellness, Anat Baniel Method (ABM Therapy), & HIPPO Therapy (Freedom in Motion Therapeutic Riding Center- Horse Therapy). The cost of all these therapies and specialist add up quickly and can easily reach over $10,000 a month, especially when we have to travel. Luckily we don't have to leave every month but the fact is the more she gets now, the greater benefit there will be compared to later in life when it is harder to make the same gains. This is only what we are doing now. There a handful of other therapies that would benefit Marlowe greatly but we can’t afford the costs of them or traveling to them; The Listening Program & Conduction Education to name a couple.

   Marlowe is not a textbook case. We have been told by her doctor's, that we are at the point that what she has is so rare, they could end up naming it after her. While this is daunting to take on as a parent, the great news is they can't put any limitations on her, so we won't give up fighting for her. What works for others, hasn’t worked for her in the traditional sense. It is because of this that we have sought out alternative PT, health & nutritional solutions to help us support her individuality. Anat Baniel Method (ABM) has had a positive affect on Marlowe. It works through slow, repetitive movements to help the brain map different parts of the body, helping Marlowe become more aware of herself. The best results can be seen when done in clusters, i.e. two sessions a day for 3-5 consecutive days every 4-6 weeks. This costly therapy is not covered by insurance. We are lucky to have a practitioner in Bishop (45 min drive south of Mammoth) & also one down in LA when visiting for doctors appointments. We have also traveled to the ABM Center in the Bay Area where the founder of this method & her practitioners have worked with Marlowe. They see the potential in Marlowe as much as we do and that is why we have pursued this form of therapy. We would love to be able to go back soon, but this is a high price trip. 

We began HIPPO therapy down in Chalfant, CA (1 hr drive south from Mammoth) with the Freedom in Motion project early January. We go every Monday after school. Marlowe has always responded well to animals be it sheep, dogs & horses, so this is right up her alley. Riding on Arizona, her therapy horse, is therapeutic in so many ways; it challenges different muscles helping to support balance and in short eventually walking. Not only is it a wonderful form of physical therapy but we get to be outside in a completely different setting, a ranch! The sights, smells and textures are all feeding Marlowe with positive sensory memories. This environment is very therapeutic for not only Marlowe but also FIM’s other clients and their families. The owners of FIM are very hard-working, dedicated & passionate people. We are very blessed to have this program available to us!! This is the one thing we are doing at a reasonable cost. We would love to be able to donate to the program to help it grow and also care for the loving horses that lend their legs and love to kids like Marlowe.

When we began this journey in January of 2013, Marlowe was a little over a year old and struggling to maintain 13lb weight. After trying for over a year to up her calorie intake with whatever we could get her to eat, we came to the conclusion that it wasn’t enough. She wasn’t gaining enough weight & she was constantly getting sick. We were recommended a more natural approach concerning her diet & health through her pediatrician. We found Dr. Anna Penick and Dr. Jorge Moreno through word of mouth and here we are. Each visit to these Holistic docs are very costly & never covered by insurance, but we have already seen how greatly these natural practices have positively affected Marlowe and her overall well-being. With each visit, not only do we maintain the regimens already set in place since the last visit, we also add more supplements to help support Marlowe’s growth and function. She has been able to gain healthy weight eating nutrient dense foods & we have built up her immune system with healthy fats, vitamins and oils. She is starting to thrive! So it is imperative that we stay diligent in visiting these doctors constantly. They would love to see Marlowe more often but it is hard to make that happen being financially strapped & having to travel all over LA, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. In addition, we still travel every 3 months to Childrens Hospital Orange County to meet with our Geneticist, Metabolics Specialist, & see our Gastro Team. Marlowe’s diet is a big part of her day. Great nutrition not only feeds her body but it also helps support her energy levels while in therapy.

Thanks for taking the time to read about Marlowe’s Journey!!

With all that being said, since we don’t have a diagnosis for what is causing Marlowe’s Cerebral Palsy, and we may never will.  The doctors also can’t tell us what she is capable of, and what if any her limits may be. We don’t have a top end number that we need to fundraise for. There is no single surgery, or magic pill, or piece of medical equipment, or special therapy that is going to get Marlowe to where she needs to go.  It will be a combination of everything, and every bit of money, care and love will help Marlowe out. It will only be by God’s grace, endless prayers, a village of people, a ton of hard work from Marlowe, and most importantly ever lasting love from us and everyone that we will get her where she is going.

Thanks for your support.  We believe in MORE for Marlowe.

Peace and Love to you all, go out and make the most of each and every day, smile and give a ton of kisses out just like Marlowe does. 

Check out the links below if you want to know more about what we are doing.

anatbanielmethod.com, freedominmotiontrc.org, selahwellness.com, drjinla.com