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Help Create Autism Miracles for Kainoa

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Meet Kainoa Hale, whose autism symptoms are diminishing under the care of Dr. Taketa-Wong.

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Cherilyn & Matthew Hale discuss with Dr. Taketa-Wong their journey in treating Kainoa's underlying medical conditions and seeing him improve

Doctor’s Note:  In Hawaii, naturopathic physicians are not covered by insurance the way that conventional doctors are, and many of the cutting edge laboratory tests and specialized supplements aren’t covered either.  Some tests are quite expensive, as much as $300 each.  Fresh produce, especially organic, can be pricey.  Plus there are other therapies that are important for Kainoa, such as ABA and OT.  Cherilyn works two jobs, and still finds the medical expenses to be a challenge.

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The family is hoping to raise $3,000 to cover medical expenses for the next year and appreciates all contributions, regardless of the amount.  “It all adds up, and we are just so deeply grateful for whatever people give to help support our Kainoa,” said his parents, Cherilyn and Matthew.

Kainoa’s family noticed his development was behind at an early age.  He was never interested in talking, which raised a red flag. At the age of two, they placed him in an early intervention program at Kapiolani Hospital.  Next came a preschool program with speech, physical, and occupational therapists. They also were taking Kainoa to a pediatrician and a neurologist. Kainoa was eventually given an autism diagnosis.

After two  years of not finding much improvement for Kainoa with what they were doing, they decided to try an ND and took him to see Dr. Taketa-Wong.  They explained to the doctor that their son was regressing in communication, repeating back what others said (echolalia), as well as having trouble with self-feeding and toileting.

Kainoa and step sister Kristin having fun at Chuck E. Cheese

“He wasn’t eating a lot and also wasn’t interacting with people,” Cherilyn said.  “Dr. Taketa-Wong was very scientific about it. She said that there were medical causes behind Kainoa’s behaviors, problems within his body with how he processed toxins, possible allergies, and most likely, digestive issues as well.  She explained everything very clearly and told us we should start improving Kainoa’s diet while we waited the results of the laboratory tests. She had us do a lot of laboratory tests!”

The family began changing their son’s diet right away and were astonished at what happened.  “Within one week of changing Kainoa’s diet,” said Matthew, “the teachers were telling us that they noticed a change in his behavior.  He was more social and more interactive with them and the other kids.” When the lab tests came back, they discovered that Kainoa was allergic to peanuts, and had a sensitivity to mushrooms.  He also didn’t make enough of the digestive enzymes to break down casein, the protein in dairy. They found that he had high levels of inflammation throughout his body, and that was affecting brain function.

Kainoa enjoys playing and interacting now.

“Kainoa would never ride the tricycle at school with the other kids,” Cherilyn said.  “One day I took lunch to him because I found out that school lunch was going to have cheese.  There he was, riding his tricycle with the others. Then he told me, ‘I played with my friends today,’ like he was reporting what happened.  That was completely amazing!”

That was 18 months ago.  Since then, Cherilyn has continued to see steady improvement for Kainoa under Dr. Taketa-Wong’s care.  In addition, the dietary changes initially made for Kainoa are now helping the rest of the family, as well.  “I changed our kitchen cabinet,” said Cherilyn. “I pay attention to ingredients. It helps us with our own health.  We didn’t know about all these things. Who knew about chia seeds?”

As to Kainoa’s progress, he’s feeding himself, has no toileting issues, and is communicating way more.  “He’s asking questions, which is amazing,” said Cherilyn. “He actually wants to interact with others. Now it’s about helping him know what to say, like when he wants to play with other kids.  Kainoa’s teachers report that he participates in classroom activities and groups. He’s in with regular kids and only gets pulled out for reading and math. He also started ABA a month ago, but he only needs a few hours after school.  

Kainoa all dressed up--with cousin, Carissa

“Kainoa used to be really shy and wouldn’t say much.  Now he gets excited and tells me that he wants to play with other kids.  I tell him to say, ‘Hey do you want to play?’ and to go try it. Sometimes he will and sometimes he wants me to come with him.  He likes to play tag and loves soccer. He’ll try other sports, too, including golf, and is learning to swim What an amazing transformation!”

As to evaluating the doctor’s care the family thinks she’s great.  Cherilyn put it this way: “Because she’s holistic, she spends more time with you.  You can tell she truly cares, and we really appreciate that. She always takes the time to be sure you understand, she’s never pushy, and she’s very informative.  Seeing where Kainoa is now and where he can go, we are just so grateful.”

Again, in Hawaii, naturopathic physicians are not covered by insurance in the way that conventional doctors are, and many of the cutting edge laboratory tests aren’t covered either.  Besides the continuing laboratory tests and office visits, Cherilyn, Matthew, and the family will be very grateful to have Dr. Taketa-Wong’s ongoing support for Kainoa. Having the doctor’s guidance is one of the biggest reasons for the GoFundMe campaign.

The family’s goal is to raise $3,000 to cover medical expenses for the next year and is very grateful for every contribution, regardless of the amount.  “It all adds up, and we appreciate whatever people give to help support our Kainoa.”

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Autism is a complex condition, requiring extensive notes and discussion.  Dr. Taketa-Wong’s standard office visits are one hour.

The office of Dr. Kathryn Taketa-Wong set up this program to do fundraising on behalf of their patients.  Her specialty is treating children with autism, ADHD, and other special needs. Conventional medicine has not yet developed the understanding of how underlying medical conditions give rise to symptoms of autism, so they don’t yet have the treatment protocols that Dr. Taketa-Wong does. By treating the underlying medical conditions, such as inflammation in the gut and food sensitivities, children under her care are making amazing progress. Here is one example:

“Before working with Dr. Taketa-Wong, my son could barely talk. He was combative, didn't want to be touched, and only ate three foods along with having terrible digestive problems. Now his digestive problems are gone. He eats widely, including vegetables. The most wonderful part is, he gives us hugs and kisses and says ‘I love you’ without any prompting. You can’t put a price on that!”
--R.S., Honolulu

Costs can be difficult for some families when it comes to treatment. In Hawaii, naturopathic physicians are not covered by insurance the way that conventional doctors are, and many of the cutting edge laboratory tests aren’t either.  (Dr. Taketa-Wong keeps her rates very reasonable, as low as $198 for a full one hour office visit complete with a comprehensive Health Improvement Plan.)

Please contribute to our February GoFundMe Family of the Month so that Kainoa can continue to receive the quality treatment that has already made a major difference in his life.  Our goal for the Hale family is $3,000.

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/drkathryntaketa

Please view Dr. Taketa-Wong’s video about treating autism here.
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    Dr. Kathryn Taketa-Wong
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    Honolulu, HI

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