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One of the most common problems suffered by those with Kabuki syndrome have to do with the gut. Whether there's a malrotation, malabsorption, acid reflux, chronic constipation or diarrhea, or something else entirely, these gut issues impact the daily lives of everyone who lives with Kabuki syndrome.
Elijah VanDyke was no different, except that his gut issues were bad. Really bad. So bad that his mom, Rachael, went in search of a different answer. Traditional formulas were not working, Eli was still sick and his blood sugars would not stabilize. And that's when Rachael discovered the recent innovation of a homemade blenderized diet. Recent is a relative term, in the medical field, it can mean anything in the last 5-10 years.
During her search, Rachael learned of a company called Functional Formularies, a company that makes a blenderized diet from actual food instead of throwing a bunch of chemicals in a bottle. Their founder, Robin Gentry McGee, discovered the high sugar content in traditional formula after her father suffered a traumatic brain injury and required a feeding tube. Since it was her field, she decided to research better ways to get actual food into his body. Thus, Liquid Hope was born.
While the FDA will not say that food is medicine, there is a vast amount of research that proves how diet affects the body. Everything from autonomous function to cognitive function to the immune system is impacted by the food we put into our bodies.
There are many Kabuki families, myself included, who prefer to make their children's blends and purees because of this information. And when you read the success story of Eli, you will see why! Below you will see what Functional Formularies posted on Facebook about Eli and Rachael, which is also shared on their website under "Stories of Hope." If you want to review the company yourself and read Robin's story, you can do that here. There's a ton of information on their website that is helpful! Rachael has also put together her own packet of information on the blenderized diet, which will find its way on to the website soon. Please go read their story, and check out the FF website so you can see the impact of whole foods versus chemicals and sugar! ATK wants to thank Rachael and Elijah for letting us share their story. We hope that you find it as helpful and informational as we did!