My nephew, Scott, came to stay with me during his sixth-grade school year. His mother, my sister, is a single mom who made a very tough decision to enlist in the United States Army. Scott was not able to go to boot camp with her, so she asked if he could stay with me. “Of course,” I said.

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Prior to Scott coming to live with me, he was eating everything from fast food to frozen TV dinners. His favorite snack was in a bag with food coloring Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6. He was taking ADHD medication, and his grades were a C at best. Scott was eating unhealthy foods loaded with chemicals and preservatives. No wonder he was not thinking at his best, which his grades clearly demonstrated.

We established a new routine. We ate breakfast in the morning. I packed his lunch almost every day, and then we ate a healthy dinner, which usually included a big green salad.  Everything was going well.

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One of his teachers called me and said she and the other teachers would like to set up a meeting with me. I had no idea why. I thought "maybe Scott really does need his ADHD medication"

I went to the school the day of the meeting, I walked through the door way and said to myself “Oh My God! I’m in big trouble.” In the room, at the long table was the principle, vice-principle, Scott’s teachers and when diagnosed with ADHD you have another set of teachers, and a person from the school district. 

 

The teacher who called me on queue said “Don’t worry Karen, you’re not in trouble go ahead have a seat." Something magical happened, I sat at a table and listened to Scott’s teachers tell me how pleased they are with him. Off of his medications and eating healthy, Scott had earned a place on the honor roll and received a certificate from the Blue Mountain Middle School for straight A’s in math.

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His math teacher told me that she was in awe of him she said she would watch him multiply three numbers by three numbers and arrive at the correct answer without using scratch paper. He was also in the top percentage of the kids nationwide with the online math problems.

 

I couldn’t say anything. I just stared at his teachers in shock.  Then they asked me the question, “What are you doing with him?” The teachers were finding it hard to understand how Scott could have such a big turnaround when they looked at his past records. A "C" student at best always sliding by every year to straight A's and honor roll.

 

I said, “This is my first time taking care of a teenager,  I was just doing what my mother did with my sisters and me. I was feeding him healthy, nutritious food.”  Scott was eating much healthier, so his brain and body were healthier.

Scott also bloomed in other areas. He played baseball on a Little League team and received his first trophy, and he was also an active Boy Scout.

 

I thought, if I can do this with a sixth grader, then I need to get out and talk to people about how easy it is to eat healthy and get off their medications. Small changes everyday can make a big difference.

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My journey led me to Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the world’s largest nutrition school per graduating class. Powerful teachers who are the leading doctors, PhDs, researchers, and authorities in nutrition and healthcare today taught me a wide variety of skills in business, coaching, nutrition, and lifestyle choices.

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Karen had a dream of making a difference for humanity.

“Doesn’t everyone want to make a difference?” asked Karen

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I ask of you "What have you done for humanity lately?'

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Look forward to hearing from you.