This is an amazing letter from Gwen Burnell about 2 past guests who came to Sanoviv with Parkinson’s disease and went through our Neuro repair program.
Dan Swartzentruber came in a wheel chair and was barely able to hold his head up and had to be fed by his wife Wilma.
Lizzie Hershberger came feeling progressive weakness and tremors left hand and right leg, she was looking for an alternative to the brain surgery that her doctor recommended her.
We are so blessed to be able to make these kinds of changes in our guests' lives. We hope you take the time to read and enjoy this letter.
Dear Chris and Elaine,
I am so excited to write you this letter so you can share it with everyone. On Memorial, last Monday I received a call from Wilma Swartzentruber. She is so wonderful about staying in touch and I just love it. Her kids were all getting together and she was not taking Dan because the food there would not be good for him. She told me that Dan was have a super good day. She said Dr. Fernando said it would get better and she could not imagine how things could get better from where they are now. I shared with her that I was coming to see her and her community on June 12th and how excited I am to reunite with them once again.
Late afternoon today I received another call from Wilma. She was so happy and just had to call someone to share her news. Don’t forget, their phone is not inside the home. She said that since Monday, Dan had just made remarkable improvements. Said she was down stairs in the basement doing laundry and heard something from upstairs. She turned around and there stood Dan at the bottom of the stairs…..she said she could not believe her eyes and said “What are you doing coming down those stairs by yourself”? There he was with a big smile and wanted to proceed outside with her to hang laundry. On the ground sat a new hose hanger that needed to be mounted on the side of the house. He went down to the barn and returned with a drill, a few minutes later returned to the barn with proper screws and mounted the hose rack!!! Keep in mind Dan was a Master Carpenter and can build anything with beauty and quality like only the Amish can do. The joy she experienced watching him!
They are preparing to have a farm sale. She and Dan went down to the barn to help the sons as they are sorting through items. Dan pulled up a chair and made the decision if it would be sold, kept, or thrown out. He had contributed to the family in ways he has not been able to do in years.
She then asked me if Lizzie and Alvin Hershburger were having classes on how to eat gluten free? A lady in town told her that she heard this. I told her that they are having church suppers that are gluten free. They prepared a gluten free meal for 50+ people, the next will be on June 1st for 70 to 80 people. Wilma wants to learn more about how to cook Gluten Free and was hoping they were having a class.
Approximately 1.5 hours after speaking with Wilma, Alvin Hershburger called me. I could not believe the timing. I again, was so happy and excited. He told me that they stay in touch with Dr. Fernando on a weekly basis and it is now going to every 2 weeks. He can hardly find the words to express the joy he has for the results that Lizzie is experiencing. When I met them the morning we took Dr. Mesa for a house call she was very foggy, slow moving and was no longer able to take care of her home chores. On an Amish farm the women take care of the home, children, garden, and the yard. I am talking about beautiful lawns with flower beds that splash color in all directions of your eyes. They could pass as a city park. So, her health was robbing her of the quality of life….not to mention they had a neurologist who got angry with them when they chose not to put a pacemaker in her brain that would send electric shock. He wanted to give me an update on both of them. Lizzie has lost 51 lbs and Alvin has lost 35 and has given up coffee. His blood pressure is running around 128/78. On Memorial day Lizzie worked in the hay field with the family as they all worked to bring in the hay. Again, he said things are really good hear. He did say they would love to learn more about cooking gluten free and he wants to share everything they learned with every person he meets.
Thank you!
Gwen Burnell
