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"It's my story and I am sticking to it!" by Esther McClendon |
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Esther made this speech at the 2007 Convention CWFH Dinner...here is her story! |
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“A Time For Firsts”
How many of you watched the movie “Eight is Enough?” If so, then you have a very vivid picture of my family. As I watched it, I wondered if they secretly videoed my family so they could make the movie! I would have enjoyed it better if I didn’t know what the next scene was going to be. When I left the theatre, I was so tired—it reminded me of WORK and my LIFE!
I personally gave birth to 8 wonderful children. My oldest son Joe, is 29, and married with 4 girls. My daughter Virginia is 27 and single. At home I have 4 boys and 2 girls, their ages are 17, 14, 11, 9, 6, and 3.
I joined EcoQuest 10 years ago and worked the business in between home schooling and birthing babies, mostly part-time the majority of those years. That was “B.E.”- before Emily (my 8th child)!
I now had a life changing challenge; it was to “KEEP HER ALIVE." My goals and mission were to proceed with determination, drive, denial of self, and decisive measure to ensure that she was “kept alive.”
Her schedule consisted of two months around-the-clock feedings every three hours and then two months of every two hours around-the-clock feedings. These required collecting breast milk, fortifying it for added calories, and putting it in a two-ounce container to feed her through her N-G tube (feeding tube in the nose). Along with this, various medications were given at different intervals during the day. After four months of virtually no sleep, numerous trips to the hospital and doctors, exhaustion took on a whole new definition. Still, there was only one option: “KEEP HER ALIVE”! I am confident that the strength to physically do what had to be done, came ONLY from the Power of God. By this time, my physical ability to carry on was exhausted! God does and will do the impossible.
Still 6 pounds at four months of age, she was admitted to Eggleston's Children’s Hospital in Atlanta for Open Heart Surgery. Instead of an expected two weeks' stay, it turned into a four month stay. Besides open heart, she also had a G-Tube and Fundo-placation surgery, two blood transfusions, and a heart cath.
While in the hospital I received a gift that would change my life with EcoQuest, and later, Emily’s health. Cadle & Alicia McEachin, my Master Managers, sent me Essentials for Life, a Fresh Air Buddy (personal air purifier), and the Infinity2 Skin Care. Each of these products played a part in my health and the Buddy was a Godsend for Emily. It literally kept her from constant congestion and drainage.
Before I received the gifts, I had pretty much determined that I would not continue with EcoQuest. These “gifts of life” changed that decision. Somehow, someway, someday, I wanted to repay them. Money wasn’t an option, but working the business could be. I decided to “Keep EcoQuest Alive”!
It would be two and a half years before I could even begin to fulfill my desire to say “thanks.” Those years were either spent in multiple doctors' offices, the ER, or hospitals at least every week up until the end of 2006. From October to January 2007, Emily was doing better. Cadle called and asked if I would join him in working the Creating Wealth From Home system with him. I agreed to give it a try.
In December, my sister gave me some information about how nutrition and enzymes could help children with Downs. Well, I knew where to get Enzyme Nutritionals!!
January 2nd I began an intense regime of our Infinity2 products with Emily. These included:
The FIRST day her stomach issues ceased! The first day! The first day! The first day! No more arching her back from pain No more screaming with cramps No more gas pains No more sleepless nights - most important for mom!
January 10th - Her occupational therapist was amazed at her progress just from the week before. He said, “It was as if a light came on in her head.” For the first time, she was exploring toys in detail, focusing on how everything worked. Her speech therapist noted on January 11th that she was more alert, attentive, and interactive. Her attention span had increased in just one week. She began saying words with ease. In two weeks time, her vocabulary was in the 30’s and also signs.
January 12th - She stood up and took one step! We noticed that her “baby fat” wasn’t as apparent. Just feeling her arms and legs, you could tell she was developing muscle tone. The muscle tone in her legs began to increase.
January 27th - She had a toy with handles that she stood up on and began – not walking - but running up and down the hallway. Talk about a happy family, we were all over her with excitement. Just two weeks ago, her legs were still very “loose noodle.” Now she’s on her on!!
Six weeks after starting the vitamins she started cruising, standing on her own, and now she’s running! She loves to “show mom how it feels to drive an EcoQuest car - she has a child’s coupe car that she loves to get in and ride through the house, saying “Bye-Bye" as she closes the door with her purse on her arm!!
It’s been nine months now, NO hospital, ER, or Doctors office visits!!!!!!
Emily is now G-Tube free, feeding herself with spoons and forks on a regular diet and basically ordering her older brothers and sisters around! She even whistles and signs for her dog, Toby. Her vocabulary is increasing daily along with signing.
Following the “recipe” and having a duplicatable system enabled me to reach Sales Manager in six months, but more importantly it is allowing me the option of putting Emily in a private Christian Early Learning Center where she can get Christ-centered learning, so she can SOAR and reach her best potential.
My advise to you would be to “KEEP IT ALIVE.” Treat your business as if it were your flesh and blood - a gift from God. You will have some “Hard Days” as one of Emily’s CICU nurses told me. It’s not a Bad Day, just a Hard Day. There will be days with long hours, days where you want that afternoon nap, or go to bed early. It’s not an option if you want to “KEEP IT ALIVE.”
Is it worth it, you may ask? Emphatically YES! Were those years of keeping Emily alive worth it? Absolutely! If I could visualize for you all the joy, the smiles and the laughter that she has brought to our family and really anyone who meets her, you too would agree that it was worth it.
Her first day in the learning center, she walked in or rather “ran” in when she spotted the kids and toys - not even looking back to tell me bye. She had a mission, a goal, a love of playing.
I leave you with these words to penetrate deep inside you heart, mind, and soul. Say it with me, “KEEP IT ALIVE”!!
God bless and GO PLAY!! (EcoQuest style)
Esther McClendon 706-812-8768 www.ecoquestintl.com/emcclen - Picture of family, or “tribe” on this one! September 2007 Click HERE to read Deborah Taylor's testimonial. |
Thank
you for allowing me this honor and privilege to share my story. Since so
many of you asked me at the 2007 Convention to send my speech and how
EcoQuest has benefited my family, I have typed it out. Feel free to pass
it along to others.
After
eight and a half months of pre-labor pains, hospital stays, and bed rest
on my left side drinking gallons of water. Emily was born weighing 5
pounds. We were informed at her birth that she had Down Syndrome and
would need open-heart surgery in the coming months. Life suddenly went
into “A.E.”- after Emily.