Although this is the story of my wife, Kaye, it is really the story of my life.
Kaye was born in the 1950s when it was common practice for physicians to irradiate the thymus gland as a way to make it shrink. Conventional medicine dictated that an enlarged thymus gland would cause “crib death.” So, instead of allowing Kaye’s thymus to shrink on its own, her doctor irradiated it, and as a result, completely wiped out her immune system.
Kaye was not alone. An estimated 500,000 American infants and children were irradiated before the practice was halted.
A non-functioning immune system took a heavy toll on Kaye. Every virus that came along weakened her, and she would subsequently suffer from bouts of bacterial bronchitis and pneumonia. Doctors prescribed more and more powerful antibiotics, and the vicious cycle continued. Kaye’s body was dying a slow death, and by 1994, her immune system was in shambles. She was physically and mentally devastated, and one day, Kaye asked me to help her die.
Together, we turned to prayer. In due time, our prayers were answered when in a business meeting, a colleague mentioned “colostrum.” The mere mention of the word started my mind racing. I had spent summers on my grandfather’s farm, and just then, I realized what I already knew. A newborn calf or foal would surely die if it did not receive its mother’s colostrum within the first 24 hours. Furthermore, every nursing mammal, including humans, provides colostrum to their newborns as a means of imparting immunity and providing growth factors necessary for growth and development.
I purchased some “DIY” dried colostrum powder, and although Kaye was initially reluctant to take it, she relented in desperation. Within days, her chronic low-grade fever was gone, and the swelling from a sprained knee disappeared. Such was the greatest life-changing event for Kaye—and me. She would no longer require dangerous antibiotics.
So began my journey to learn more about colostrum and to tell the world. My career in finance abruptly ended, and my pursuit of life for my wife began.
I started researching colostrum and quickly discovered that there was an abundance of published papers. I also learned that colostrum was considered a waste product. Since newborn calves only needed a small quantity to gain the benefits, dairy farmers dumped the rest. Without a tangible need and due to its short shelf life, local farmers gave me the colostrum for free. Thus began my quest to find a viable preservation method, as none was available then.
I quickly discovered that traditional pasteurization rendered colostrum ineffective, as Kaye’s symptoms would return. Eventually, I got closer to perfecting the techniques for efficacy, shelf-stability, and mass production. I could now provide colostrum for Kaye and for the tens of thousands just like her. Thanks to my “rediscovery” of colostrum, Kaye and I shared many wonderful years together after that life-altering day in 1994. Today, bovine colostrum is utilized for immune and gastrointestinal health worldwide.
