Grace Kenitz – the little Wisconsin girl gives hope to Gracin’s Mother. “Gracin was born on March the 8th, 2005,” recalls her mother, Stacey Davidson, “She had what they call dysmorphic features, a weak cry, and rocker bottom feet. “They [doctors] came in and said that she is a chromosomal baby, and that they don’t know what chromosome or how long she’s going to live.” It was the beginning of what would become the battle of her life. Stacey began looking for alternatives and came across a magazine article on a little Wisconsin girl , who underwent an experimental therapy with great success.
Grace Kenitz is 9 years old. She suffers from a mitochondrial disorder called mitochondrial cytochrome c reductase deficiency. Grace spent the first three years of her life in the hospital, with her mother by her side. “Her life was basically just being in a hospital hooked up to machines. She was on over 42 different medications,” says Kenitz , “During those first few years of Grace’s life, she had absolutely no idea that I was her mom. I mean, she didn’t look at me because she was blind, she didn’t know that we loved her because she didn’t comprehend anything.” Grace’s diagnosis was a shock to Kenitz. It was her fear of Grace dying that pushed her into the world of alternative medicine.
Kenitz and her daughter traveled to Florida to try hyperbaric oxygen therapy . “My daughter completely changed in that first year of doing hyperbarics,” she says with a smile. The therapy, also known as H-BOT , is still considered experimental. Here’s how it works: patients sit in a pressurized chamber for about an hour. They wear a mask and breathe in 100% oxygen. “You’re getting increased oxygenation into the blood and you’re getting increased oxygenation out into other areas of the brain that might not be seeing enough oxygen flow,” explains Doctor Kyle VanDyke, “You’re also having decreased inflammation in the brain.” Grace began to show rapid improvement to H-BOT . We began following her story in late 2004, the year she started kindergarten. Today, Grace is a fourth grader. She works daily with lifestyle and speech therapists. And she continues H-BOT in their home and at the center. More >>
