Humans are such softies. As a result of Cindy's musings on mindfulness and weight loss, she heard from one member, Barry DeLong, who had a touching story that she felt our fair members might appreciate.

Active in martial arts and meditation, Barry works at his good health, yet still put on some pounds when adopting his son, Tam, from Vietnam.  Here's his story!

OHC: Now, you're only 39. How did a youngster like you make it to the Co-op crowd?

Barry: My mom found you back in the days when you were able to carry Progesterone Cream and she recommended the Co-op. My mom has an intense attention to health and always has.  Growing up, I never ate store-bought bread. I drank farm-fresh milk. Food was always healthy and fresh in our house. I couldn’t comprehend why people purchased canned food. To this day, my mom still makes her own echinacea tincture.

OHC: Word has it your mom convinced you to do the blood type diet. What did you learn?

While I was a vegetarian, I was eating a lot of grains and didn’t feel that great. My mom kept pushing me to look at the blood type diet. My type, apparently, does better on few grains and more protein, including protein from meat. I decided to give the diet a try and experimented with formerly forbidden foods--like meat--and felt a lot better.

When I went wheat-free for a week, I had more energy,  less brain fog, and needed less sleep, so I mostly stay away from wheat now. If I ever do eat wheat, I take digestive enzymes and add lots of fiber to help move those wheat proteins out faster.

OHC: What are your favorite Co-op products?

Barry: Let’s see. I need to walk over to my cabinet. I have a lot of red-topped bottles here.

I take your Joint Complex for my knees. I was a long distance runner in high school and played a good bit of basketball, too. My knees took a beating regularly, though I wasn't aware of it as much at the time. Now, going for much more than 7-10 days without Joint Complex can bring on some pretty intense pain.

I keep your Oil of Oregano on hand for illnesses, especially when I know I've been exposed to someone who is sick. I've experimented with it for skin treatment too - cuts, bruises, burns. I've never been prone to infection, but as I get older I want to be careful.

God love you for your Melatonin! I've always been a night owl and if I get too mentally into something, I can lay in bed just working through the ins and outs for hours, literally. So I'll distract myself or cool down with some meditation. However, your melatonin can REALLY help if it's an important issue that I just can't stop thinking about or if I just have to get to sleep for a big day or early wake-up.

I also love your Amino Enhancer, L-Arginine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and B-100 Plus.

I did have my first niacin flush recently. I had made it to 9am without eating and took my supplements on an empty stomach. Soon after, I flushed and turned red, my skin became itchy, it scared the crap out of me!

Since I hadn’t remembered I’d taken the supplements, I had no idea what could be wrong. I called my wife and told her to please come home. I called my mom who started walking me through all kinds of possibilities.

Finally it hit me, the B vitamins on the empty stomach. I remembered reading your piece on niacin flushing, so again, I appreciate your efforts to keep us informed.

OHC: We heard that you "trick" people to check out the Co-op. Say more!

Barry: First, I have great confidence in your company because you invest so much in getting the science right and in testing. Your general information and links to studies have always impressed me.

I have to "trick" people to check out your site sometimes though, because they are skeptical at first and say, “I take a multivitamin already.”

So I bait them by saying, “Did you know that most multivitamins contain iron, and most people don’t need iron supplementation?” Then they check out your Multi-Vites and become curious about other products on their own. Regardless of the method, I want people to know about the Co-op.

OHC: Okay, so I heard you moved small mountains to adopt your son, Tam, from Vietnam. Do tell!

Barry: Initially, we had chosen Guatemala to adopt, but just before being matched with “our child,” a news story about child trafficking from Guatemala broke in Florida. The agency answered our hard questions really well, but our concern was just too high.

The next best fit for adopting a baby was Vietnam, where adoption was supposed to be quick and easy, only a week-long trip from start to finish.

Unfortunately it didn't work out that way. We fell in love with Tam but as we started the process, the U.S. changed how they would classify orphans for visas.

The maddening part was only nine of 1400 cases had prompted the tighter regulations and slowed down adoptions for the rest of us.

Then, another local adoptive couple got approval to go to Vietnam--before we did--and they brought back a video and some photos of Tam. To this point, we’d only seen happy pictures of Tam being held. In one of the new pictures, Tam was in his crib with outstretched arms and a look that no parent ever wants to see on their child’s face.

We decided to book flights immediately, and went to Vietnam with no assurance that we’d be able to get a visa for Tam.

OHC: Wow. How did you get around the restrictions?

Barry: We decided that if push came to shove, we would take up residence in another country if we couldn’t get a visa for Tam. We had a tentative plan to live in Belize.

The stress of everything contributed to me putting on 15-20 pounds. It was all just pretty much uncool. We spent nine weeks in Vietnam, struggling with the U.S. authorities, before we could finally take Tam home!

OHC: What was it like to finally be with Tam?

Barry: The first day we had him, we took him back to our hotel, broke out some toys, laid a blanket on the floor, and just played together. At first he stared and barely moved to interact with the toys. It was clear that nobody had ever gotten down with him like that before.

Then something sparked - he got it. "These people are going to do more than feed and diaper and bathe me. I actually get to have fun!" would be the closest "thought" that I would put in his head. He started to laugh and play and get crazy, but it took an entire day just to get him to smile.

OHC: What a lucky kid. What are the biggest lessons you have learned as a new parent?

Barry: The sleep deprivation is insane. Babies wake you up no matter what, but Tam was also awakened at the orphanage at 1am and 4am for meals, so he would wake up at least a couple of times a night just like clockwork.

Worse, it took us a long time to figure out that Tam was lactose intolerant. Poor little guy would wake up additional times each night with terrible, painful gas. After we took him off dairy products, he slept much more peacefully, though still not through the night! 

I think fathers should have to take a sleep deprivation course to prepare for how their sanity is going to slip first. Nothing prepared me for such intense exhaustion.

OHC: How has mindfulness supported you as a parent?

Barry: The angst during the whole adoption process made it really difficult to stay calm. I would sit to meditate, but my body just wanted to get into action because of the injustice we faced.

Once we got Tam home, my mindfulness practice really helped me though. When I was so exhausted and he needed me, I could be more compassionate instead of just being frustrated.

I’ve also taught Tam to take a breath when he starts to throw a tantrum. Now, when Tam is frustrated or in a time out, I’ll see him stop and take a breath and relax. I sure wish I had learned to do that at age two!

OHC: Last question -- your thoughts on the Kat?

Barry: Personally, I have to speak up for all the dog people out there. I grew up with cats, and I love and respect cats, of course.  But there is something about the loyal companionship of dogs, so warm and attentive, that always gets me.

Nothing against the Kat, of course! :-)

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Okay, not that I will hold anything against Barry.  He seems like a downright fine human being (humanitarian), so I will let the canine comments pass. 

If you would like to contact Barry, drop a line and I'll be sure to pass your notes along!