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Nutrition expert and mother of a child with autism, Kristin Selby Gonzalez, interviews inspirational warrior-women on April 5th, 9 AM PT on the VoiceAmerica Health & Wellness Channel to empower parents & caregivers
Phoenix, AZ (PR-Inside) April 4, 2011 -- Autism will be in the news in the weeks to come as America recognizes “Autism Awareness Month.” Throughout the month of April, people will remember the toll which this disorder takes on the lives of children and adults throughout the world. They will also remember the work which doctors, scientists, parents and specialists around the globe are doing to combat the disorder and the millions of dollars which are being raised to provide further research, treatment and therapies.

“Like warriors who are on the front lines protecting their country, parents and caregivers are on the front lines protecting and caring for their children affected by autism,” Selby Gonzalez said. “As we begin to find ourselves warriors on the front line, we can’t afford to be tired, weary and unhealthy in this battle any more than we can afford to send tired, weary, unhealthy soldiers out to fight for our country”.

In the midst of the remembering, nutrition expert Kristin Selby Gonzalez has a message: “Don’t forget to care for you!” To spread this message loud and clear, she brought in the best warriors she could find, Jenny McCarthy and Byron Katie, to help caregivers understand the importance of remembering to care for themselves. Both McCarthy and Katie are to be featured in a special 2 ½ hour keynote at the largest comprehensive autism conference in the world, the AutismOne/Generation Rescue Conference of 2011 to be held in Lombard, IL. The conference will take place May 25th – May 29th providing free registration to families and supporting this year’s theme “Autism Recovery on a Budget: Empowering Parents”. McCarthy and Katie will speak on Saturday, May 28th, from 11:15 to 1:45 as they come together to reach out to the caregivers and provide the self-care tools necessary to stay strong on the journey to recover their children from autism.

These two well-known warrior-women are certainly up to the task.

Jenny McCarthy burst on the scene in a September 2007 appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the autism world has never been the same. Her personal story of her son Evan’s descent into autism and ultimate recovery crashed Oprah’s servers as thousands of moms and dads around the country jumped online to tell the similar stories of their own children. Through meeting thousands of parents around the country, Jenny quickly came to a realization: her story is the same story being told in neighborhoods all over America. In 2008, she proudly became President of Generation Rescue, dedicated to recovery for children with autism spectrum disorders by providing guidance and support for medical treatment to directly improve the child’s quality of life for all families in need. She is honored to be part of this international movement of scientists, physicians and families. Jenny has authored three New York Times best-selling books on autism including Louder than Words, Mother Warriors and Healing and Preventing Autism: A Complete Guide. Jenny resonates with so many because she speaks a simple truth, “There are things you can do to ease autism. My story is about hope.” But Jenny also makes it her mission to help parents remember to care for themselves as they fight the big fight to help their children with autism.
Byron Katie has her own personal story of hope and recovery to share, and as a result of her incredible journey to the surface from a deep and dangerously low place in her own life, she has now given herself one job: to teach people how to stop suffering. When Katie appears, lives change. In 1986, at the bottom of a ten-year fall into depression, anger, and addiction, Byron Katie woke up one morning and realized that all suffering comes from believing our thoughts. She realized that when she believed her stressful thoughts, she suffered, but that when she questioned them, she didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Her simple but powerful method of inquiry is called The Work. Katie has been bringing The Work to millions around the world for more than twenty years. Her free public events, weekend workshops, nine-day School for The Work, and 28-day residential Turnaround House have brought freedom to people all over the world. Byron Katie’s six books include the bestselling Loving What Is, I Need Your Love—Is That True? and A Thousand Names for Joy. She is now bringing her story of hope and triumph to caregivers who need to hear her inspirational and life-changing message and she is ready to help empower them with strength for their own personal journeys.

To help keep families strong, a world leading enzyme manufacturer, Enzymedica, sponsors a radio show on VoiceAmerica Health & Wellness Network called “AutismOne: A Conversation of Hope” which is Co-hosted by Kristin Selby Gonzalez and Teri Arranga. The radio show includes discussions with the most experienced doctors, researchers, and therapists in the field of autism, parents of recovered children, and advocates for the children and families. Kristin will be interviewing Jenny McCarthy and Byron Katie on the show on April 5th at 9:00 AM PST. Topics of discussion will include caring for the caregiver and hope for recovery from autism.

A warrior-mother herself, Kristin Selby Gonzalez understands the challenges of caring for a child with autism, working full-time and trying not to forget herself in the process. “We fill ourselves with guilt when we focus on our own needs, when caring for ourselves is one of the most important things we can do to be as effective as we can for our children.” While helping the autism community is a large priority in Selby Gonzalez’s life, she doesn’t want to forget those who are fighting so hard for their children. For the past several years, Selby Gonzalez has been on the front lines of the autism community. When her own son, Jaxson, went from a withdrawn child who could not speak to an interactive playful child speaking in sentences and singing songs, she set out on a crusade to spread hope for recovery. She is now the Director of Autism Education for Enzymedica, and with their support, she has traveled the country sharing her own personal story of hope and spreading the message with encouragement and education for others. In 2009 she toured 26 different states, giving 77 lectures with over 4000 attendees. Last month Kristin’s new DVD titled “Let’s Go Shopping, Special Foods for Special Needs” was officially released. The first-of-its-kind DVD was filmed on-site at three well-known organic food markets and provides families with shopping and dietary information that can be used immediately. While continuing to seek her son’s full recovery from autism, Kristin gives free monthly “Mommy Time” lectures for mothers of affected children as well as free monthly “Lectures of Hope” for families of those with autism. She constantly reminds others that “Recovery is possible” and that “Progress for one inspires hope for all.”

Autism One: A Conversation of Hope airs live on Tuesdays at 9 AM Pacific / 11 AM Central / 12 Noon Eastern on the VoiceAmerica Health & Wellness Channel. To access the show, log on at www.voiceamericahealth.com. All shows will be available in Autism One's Content Library on the VoiceAmerica Health & Wellness Channel for on-demand and podcast download.