Dear Friends and family:
May this letter find you in good health and enjoying a nice summer.
It has been 6 months already since we sent you the last update.
First of all, we want to reiterate our gratitude to all friends and family members that helped us thru Gabriel's health challenges that started a year and a half ago in the wet tropics where Gabriel was diagnosed with meningitis and pneumonia. It has been quite a journey your support and friendship definitely has been a key factor in his recovery.
Gabriel come back to the Buena Fortuna Gardens on December 2009 (from the clinic in the USA after he had pneumonia for the second time) , when he arrived he could barely move, he was very weak and his lungs were delicate (according to the doctors in Aug. 2009 only one of his lugs was working and only on 1/3 of its capacity).
Now his lungs are strong and he is back into seed cleaning
All this time at Buena Fortuna he has been treated only with herbs and good food -away from medications. Even the few times at the beginning when he coughed blood, we successfully treated him with herbs. We are grateful to Dr. Gerry Lehrberger, Dr. Karen Ferrera and Dr. Ingrid Naiman whom have continued giving us advice and support thru this healing process and shared many high quality healing herbs and homeopathic remedies . And also thanks to Ambaya, from Ambaya Gold whose brain tonics and herbal supplements have been an incredible asset to his health.
Gabriel's health has improved tremendously, he has gained weight and strength. He is still a very knowledgeable teacher, maintaining his passion to share and teach. He has never lost his incredible botanical knowledge and the clarity of his mental processes.
His main challenge at this moment is Nerve damage that has caused him not to be able to move the right side of his body and so affecting his speech (that actually has improved in the last few months) it also affects his walking because of the low nerve conductivity the responses of his right leg are slow, so he has a hard time walking (which he does with a cane as a part of his therapy, but for the most part we move him on a wheel chair). The greatest challenge resulted from nerve damage is that he is unable to move his right hand, which is now semi-paralyzed. However he has manages to work daily at the garden, using his left hand to weed, plant, harvest and clean seeds. Gabriel gets picked up on the wheel chair at 6:30 every morning and brought down to the earth to weed and plant at the garden until its time to give botanical tours, workshops or clean seeds. His determination and will to live are amazing. His commitment to work for the Earth is always present.
We are planning for Gabriel to go receive therapies at Dr. William Hitt Center in T.J. Mexico (treatments sponsored by John Roulac, Nutiva organic products) and also treatments at Health Walk in Carlsbad, Ca, (Treatments sponsored by Mark D. Hinds and supported by Patricia Braggs) so he can continue his healing journey until completion to perhaps recover movement of his right side. In order to do this we are currently working on getting him assistant/ companion for a week to 10 days in T. J. on the 3rd week of July and potentially in Carlsbad the end of July- beginning of August. If you or somebody you know is interested in assisting him or you would like to support this treatments in any way, please email us.
We are also currently looking for a therapist that would like to come and spend the fall/winter months learning organic gardening and medicinal herbs cultivation from Gabriel to, in exchange give him daily therapies. Please share the information of this apprenticeship opportunity with whomever might be qualify and interested.
Gabriel is feeling better every day. Being around his children at the garden, having organic meals, fresh healing herbs and high quality supplements and his positive attitude are playing a big roll in his recovery.
We are now planing a permaculture course in December 6 to 19 at BF, for more information see http://www.rawpermaculture.org/2010/04/mexico-retreat/
The Buena Fortuna Botanical Garden are green and lush and many tropical fruits are now ripening.plus many seeds, too many to mention.
Thank you so much for being here for us.
May the Earth Bless you with abundance!
Hope to see you some time at our garden in Baja.
Kitzia Danel & Gabriel Howearth
Buena Fortuna Botanical Garden
La Ribera, B.C.S.
Cel. 011 52 1 624 1683225