Mineral Wells Area News

By Gary Norman / Special to Mineral Wells Area News / ~ A Four Part Series ~ Part 4

Previous: Part 3 – Seeking Alternative Answers – Click Here to Read the Previous Part

Part 4: Hope in Mexico

A New Direction

The next day Russell reached out to Brooke’s co-worker who had suggested the clinic in Tijuana, Mexico.

He then got on the clinic’s website and scheduled an appointment. Russell called the clinic every other day to facilitate speeding up the appointment, if possible.

“We were ready, and we were going,” said Russell.

Yet one significant roadblock remained. All in, the cost of the treatments, travel, and accommodations would be approximately $10,000.

Then, with wonderful timing, Russell was able to secure a local remodeling project. That, along with money from a Go Fund Me account established by co-workers, allowed them to finance the trip.

“It was a God thing,” said Russell.

The Journey Begins

On the night of December 1, 2024, their oldest son, Saxx, drove Russell and Brooke to Dallas-Fort Worth airport for the flight to San Diego, California.

The passing freeway lights and the movement of the truck brought on another seizure as they drove east on IH-20.

The episode abated and Brooke and Russell were able to board the plane for the flight.

As the plane took off, the movement again brought on another seizure. Russell covered Brooke with a blanket to hide her condition, afraid that the plane would return to the airport and Brooke would be removed from the flight.

Brooke was conscious, but in pain and experiencing tremors when the flight landed in San Diego.

They collected their carry-on luggage from the overhead bin, waited until most everyone else had exited the plane, then made a wobbly walk to an awaiting shuttle van that would take them across the border to the clinic.

“I was excited to be there and glad to have made it,” said Brooke.

Arriving at midnight in San Diego minimized the local travel time and it only took approximately twenty minutes to cross the border and make it to their hotel, across the street from the clinic.

Once again, the movement of the shuttle and passing lights brought on, this time, a mild episode. With Brooke leaning on Russell for support, and with the assistance of the hotel staff, they were able to check in and get some rest before Brooke’s appointment scheduled for the next morning.

The Clinic

The morning of December 2, 2024 dawned clear for Brooke and Russell as they made the walk across the street from the hotel to the clinic.

“I had vertigo, was dizzy, my blood pressure was high, and my heart was racing. I was just trying to function,” said Brooke.

In addition to the anxiety of going to a clinic outside of the US, being far away from any of her support network, not knowing what to expect, and not being assured of a positive outcome, Brooke’s stutter was still prominent, and she knew how important it was for her to communicate clearly today.

First Impressions

As they walked in the doors of the clinic, the first thing Russell noticed was the presence of a uniformed doorman, which raised his comfort level.

He also noted the facility was extremely clean and professional-looking. They were able to check in and were directed to another office for bloodwork.

After the bloodwork, they were directed to an on-site restaurant where they could have breakfast. It was a welcome sight for Brooke who had been fasting since before they left Mineral Wells the night before.

The Doctor’s Visit

The results of the blood tests would take four hours to be compiled by the onsite lab and during the interim Brooke had her first visit with the Doctor.

Through her stutter, and with Russell’s assistance, Brooke detailed the previous ten months of her health journey and how she was currently feeling.

After extensive questions regarding her physical condition, to her surprise, the Doctor asked, “How are you feeling emotionally?”

“Depleted,” said Brooke. It was the first time during the entire course of her ordeal that she felt the totality of her condition was being respected and addressed.

“The more the Doctor talked about the treatments, the better I felt. I had no doubt he could help,” said Russell.

The Diagnosis

The doctor had taken a pinprick blood sample from Brooke’s finger when she first arrived at his office and prepared slides.

He placed the slides under a microscope which transmitted the picture to a television screen on the wall.

As the individual blood cells came into focus, the doctor pointed out abnormalities in the shape of the cells, tell-tale cyst-like objects within a number of them, and the presence of active bacteria.

With this information, coupled with the results of the morning’s blood tests, the doctor was able to make four specific diagnoses: heavy metal poisoning, chronic Lyme Disease, a bacterial infection, and an overload of Candida fungi which contributed to major inflammation of her blood cells – the very same issues Russell had insisted the doctors check for months ago.

The Treatment Begins

Brooke was taken in for treatment immediately which included an Ozone IV, a chelation therapy treatment, an infusion of vitamins, and afterwards a colonic.

Later that day, at the conclusion of her treatments, Brooke and Russell returned to the hotel where she slept for thirteen hours.

The Breakthrough

The third day of treatment proved to be a huge turning point for Brooke.

She woke up at approximately 5:00 AM, but instead of her usual series of early morning seizures, the burning sensation in her head was comparatively minor, her heart rate was normal, she wasn’t dizzy, and she knew she was significantly better.

“I was able to get into the shower and I cried for thirty minutes,” said Brooke.

After her shower, she spoke with Russell and noted her stutter was gone and she no longer had to slow her speech and concentrate to be able to find the right words.

The Recovery

Over the next two days, the treatments included more of the previous therapies with the addition of radionics, the magnet therapy Brooke was taking at home.

Brooke also received a second and third round of stem cell injections, this time in her feet and in the section of her face that would droop and become numb during seizures.

At the end of the fourth day and the completion of her treatments, Brooke was given literature regarding her ongoing care along with sublingual peptides and other medications to take at home.

Today

Fast forwarding to January 17, 2025, Brooke and Russell are sitting at their dining room table reflecting on their journey and where they are now as their dog, Doobie Doo, wanders in and seeks some attention.

Brooke is continuing her Kambo and magnetic treatments, at the suggestion of her doctor in Mexico, and is continuing with the medication protocol she received there.

She has a follow-up visit to the clinic scheduled for this summer with more planned every six months possibly for the foreseeable future.

“I feel great! I don’t think I have felt this good in the last fifteen years,” said Brooke. “My energy level is coming back. I have some headaches and numbness in the morning, but that is fading. There is no more blurred vision, and my blood pressure and heart rate are back to normal, and no stuttering.”

Reflection

Given some time and distance where he could come out of problem-solving mode and reflect on how far they had come, Russell had an unexpected reaction regarding Brooke’s illness.

“I was very angry and had to release some of it after I saw how much she had been through,” said Russell.

When asked why they were not able to get a successful outcome here in the US, Russell cited the medical regulations in the US as the biggest problem, especially when it comes to stem cell and peptide treatments.

“Because if they weren’t, it would cripple the pharmaceutical industry. It is very suppressed and (conventional treatment) is designed to keep you coming back. The pharmaceutical industry treats the symptoms while missing the root cause. Holistic doctors are being price gouged. Their treatments are readily available, but expensive,” said Russell.

A Final Word

Russell went on to provide some recommendations, based on his and Brooke’s experience.

“If they are throwing meds at you, they are hurting rather than helping; take a step back. If you are going to one doctor and getting a diagnosis, you are putting your life in their hands. I recommend putting those decisions in multiple hands. Don’t be afraid to try an alternative and never give up when you are trying to save a loved one,” said Russell.

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[This concludes our four part series on Brooke Barnett’s medical journey.]