My Daughter (Makamae), my Precious Gift... 14 days old

I have a story that I would like to share. This was before I knew anything about Reiki. Healing seemed to be a path for me already, Reiki just gave me structure and reference to remember what I seemed to already know.

My daughter was born,(six weeks premature) at Kaiser Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1974. At birth she had meconium aspiration syndrome, a condition that in its worst form strikes one or two of 1,000 babies each year nationwide. During the delivery, Makamae inhaled a fluid into the lungs (Aspiration) This fluid was meconiu which is an abrasive substance created by her own waste matter in the amniotic fluid. The doctor originally thought that the lung damage was small. The results of the tests were different. After the Doctor looked at the xrays, he found there was only a small space (the size of a fingertip), that was not damaged. The doctor said he was really sad to tell us this, however, we should call a Priest if we were Catholic because he didn't think she was going to survive. The only hope he gave us was that, "the more days she lived, the more her lungs would grow and the more of a chance she had at survival".

There was times Makamae would completely stop breathing, and there would be an immediate panic in the Pediatric ICU, to get her back again. An adult with the same problem, would experience Brain Damage in a very short time,(minutes not hours), so every second Makamae wasn't breathing was critical. A traveling emergency nurse, named Bonnie, just happened to be in the hospital. There wasn't the equipment that was available in "da Mainland"(continental US). Bonnie set up a system of "bagging" her with the other nurses, to make baby breathe. Then Makamae developed pneumonia, thrush, jaundice and problems due to medications. Hope was fading. Bonnie remained hopeful and encouraged everyone to keep trying and not stop. I prayed, cried, was depressed, worried and experienced every emotion possible.

The other kaimaina nurses and staff, began telling me that I should call a priest. So we called everyone we knew. The Central Union Church (where my oldest daughter, only 11 made a special request), The Mormans, the Buddist, and a dozen of the different religious groups in diverse Hawaii. After all this was a week away from one of the rare Easter times where the Christian observance was at the same time as the Jewish observance and Islamic observance of a holy day.

I was released from the hospital within three days, but Makamae couldn't go home and stayed there. I was in the hospital visiting daily, all day long. They allowed me to stand over her ICU plastic cocoon, watching her breathe. Once in a while, when they opened the enclosure, I would get to touch her hand.

About a week later, which was Easter, I was standing over her as usual. Suddenly, her eyes totally opened and focus'ed on mine. Babies weren't suppose to be able to see very well so soon, and usually didn't open their eyes very wide as she had just done. I did not feel that a baby was looking at me. There was something else, "a knowing", a brief time yet very profound, it seemed that her eyes recognized me and knew who I was. I knew in that moment that she would live. Because she was 6 weeks premature, I hadn't really completed fixing up her bedroom. I left the hospital that day,knowing she would be there soon, so I had to prepare for her homecoming.

Makamae stayed in the hospital the total time of one month before she was finally released. She had to reach a certain birth weight and medications had to be monitored. When she was released, she was a "mess", but she was alive. She had her head shaved, marks on her heels (from having blood samples taken) and marks on her head. Someone looking at her would think she had been in a terrible accident. As I left the hospital with her, people would look at us with pain in their eyes. They didn't know the worst part of the pain was over.

Makamae did have some slight neuromuscular problems but she was alive and in my arms, that's all that mattered. Life became a bit more normal with a fussy healthy baby. She seemed fine for a while, then began having petite mal seizures. After all we had been through before this was nothing but nuisance visits to the hospital and watching the doctors play with MRI's and CT Scans.

Makamae, at the age of 4, was in preschool at Kaimuki Christian Academy, she had a gran mal seizure that frightened her Pre School Teachers who sent her to Queens' Hospital Emergency. This was diagnoised as a result of brain damage from the frightening birth trauma. We were told that sometimes children outgrow seizures over a period of time, but that in this case because of the circumstances it would probably not just go away. We were given medications for her to control the problem and should just monitor and keep an close eye on her. So we began to adjust to this new condition.

I think they used every new and different drug they had on her over the period of years. None of the medications would hold her seizures back, for any significant time. Her seizures changed as the medications changed. Makamae had seizures where she walked in a circle, ones where she did the traditional, shaking and falling on the floor. Some where she just stood and stared with her face and head turning to the left. She frightened her teachers, who were not accustomed to this situation. Many were uncomfortable with her in the classroom.

When we moved from Honolulu to San Antonio, she began having troubles in the school again and they required extensive information. On their recommendation, we took her to the county hospital downtown and by some act of fate, had a Doctor that was part of the Epilepsy Foundation, A professor at the Health Science Center and a renowned Neurologist. He was an incredible caring person (there are no coincendences). Dr. Mackey even took the time to sit down with the teachers from her elementary school to education them on her situation and answer questions. He did tell them that this was not something that would stop and that they needed to be aware of and able to deal with. They were actually afraid of Makamae and she was using this to her advantage. Pretending to shake just to have the teachers running in panic.

The most dramatic seizure when Makamae was 12 years old, She woke up screaming and screaming ... wanting to run. We had to hold her. My husband held her down while I called the Doctor. It was late at night after 10:00 and amazingly, Dr. Mackey answered the phone as if he were waiting for our call. I told him this new situation and he said this might be another form of seizure activity. The doctor said if she continued for two more minutes to bring her into the hospital. (he had talked of experimental surgery which might be better than nothing. Another benefit this surgery might get her off all the debiliating drugs).

I panic'd. The very last thing in the world I wanted them to do was operate on her and have anyone mess with her brain (even though I totally trusted her Doctor). She had made it through birth trauma that most babies don't make it through, she was in regular school playing mind games with the teachers, so something else has to work. Then I began praying and sat down, holding her, I put my hand on her head. I knew where the seizure activity was suppose to be. We had seen many many CT, CRT scans, eeg, ekg, and discussed the situation a dozen times. Dr. Mackey had explained there was a tangle of nerves that were disconnecting and reconnecting from her regular thinking pattern which short circuited her body and mind. I put my fingers on her head and turned them in a circle as if I were grasping the spot of nerve endings gone wild. Then I pulled my hand toward myself and said. Let me take this from her. I want her free of it...give it to me .....and I told myself and her... "its better, just a bit.", then I did the same thing a couple of times more knowing inside me that each time the pain was lessening. Her screaming did stop. Then I realized I had asked for this problem... and I said, "NO" I don't want it, and shook my hands throwing it away from both of us. I had been doing something similar to get rid of my own migraine headaches for a few years and it had worked for me. I was in an panic and this was my last resort with her.

Her next MRI was clean of that nerve tangle. She still has some brain damage suspected in the frontal lobe that prevents her from thinking like others, but I am not so sure that's a failing. Her receptive thought process is above average, but her communication skills are challenged. I had no words to describe what happened. I didn't know what to call what happened but I knew that the situation of not being able to do anything was the key. So I just considered it a mother's love for ages. In Hawaii, I could have easily discussed this with some of the healers and gotten a better understanding, however I was now in the mainland and they were not so open to traditional folk healing at the time.

Some people didn't even believe that I had lived in Hawaii and I thought how strange. I was a native (Pioneer Texan) but had moved away years ago and I remembered how the general public was then. So I didn't discuss this with anyone for a long time but kept doing little healings of my own, which I had no name for. When I noticed a class on Reiki in one of the shopping center's here in San Antonio, I thought "Well it comes from Japan then Hawaii, and so did I with my healing, so I'll take the class and find words and structure for healing. My teacher was Kyriban Yoga trained as well as a Reiki Master Teacher.

At first, there was a five year waiting period to ensure she did not have any more seizures before she was taken off the medication. Then another year of gradually reducing the dosages. Everyone held their breath when she finally was totally off the med's. Makamae is off all medications and still has not had seizures. That sequence of events was in 1986.. Still no seizures after 20 years. Thank you creator!

MAKAMAE's Training NOW

Makamae has worked with Bio Energy on both sides of the Yin/Yang concept. She took a small class in Aikido in 1994 and was inspired to the Martial arts. June 1995, she began seriously in "Kung Jung Mu Sul" a Korean Form of Martial Arts and has progressed to the point where she will soon be testing for her black belt. She has been a part of the Demo Team as well as being an Assistant Instructor for Alamo City Martial Arts.

February 2001 she began working in another Martial Arts form "Shaolin-Do Kung Fu" and is now a brown belt in that form. In addition, She learned 88 forms of Tai Chi (includes Bamboo Poles, Swords (two different sword forms), and fan, 8 directional Pa Kua forms and Qigong forms of Crane (3), White Monkey (1), Drunken beggar stick & Bowl. Her communication skills are getting better constantly and she now makes very good jokes, some with abstract puns.
Makamae is now doing Reflexolgy Treatments and making people laugh.

Reiki I & II February 1999 with Carolyn Maloney
Reiki Level III - Advanced Reiki Practioner October 1999 with Carolyn Maloney
Reflexology Basic training August 14, 1999 with Lotti Saenz
Healing Arts - Grand Master Soon Te Yang from Korea, August 1999 a healing technique, much like the healing technique of Qigong.
Acupressure & Qigong November 17, 2002 with Krystal Hossienaliaraghi
Reflexology update December 2002, with Krystal Hossienaliaraghi
Aromatherapy - with K. Sasson 2003

Only in the last few years have I found others that I could talk to. Ones that would not think I was crazy. Ones that shared a healing and being an healer, I find groups like the one here on the internet, along with friends and healing circles in San Antonio. I teach Reiki now and I love teaching. San Antonio didn't know how diverse they were until recently and each class that I teach I learn. My students (many of them nurses) tell me "My grandmother does that or this". And its all the same in thought, from the heart, just different in form as each different culture expresses.
and I can't say THANK YOU enough for all of you being here and there Many Bright Hugs, and much love Flute aka Carolyn Maloney
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The next note was a reply I had from someone on the internet trying to help me understand what was going on when I was trying to figure out what had happened. I had taken Reiki from the American concept of Reiki at the time and after two years of practice, it still didn't fit the situation. I totally appreciate the help from Dr. Elliot Diamond
REPLY:

From: Elliot Diamond- 1997 Subject: daughter's story

Greetings flute......

What you have described with your hand energy clearing technique is a very powerful shamanist but also a Japanese "skill" technique. I have spent time with many "Healing Masters" of Japan who purely used the universe, the will and themselves as the healing vehicle. I have been in large healing sessions where scores of individuals were "healed" with techniques such as you describe. The results transcended what i initially thought possible with my western medical model training.

These techniques are also quite profound as a sort of dowsing technique where you can actually use different fingers to sense an object or a suspected ill area of the body. Many times remnants of sickness hide out in unsuspected areas of the mind/body and spirit and it is important to scan the entire physical body and the energy several inches above it.

Here is how you can try it: while you move your hand or finger into the energy of the object or body part you are testing you feel your pulse (carotid) or the pulse that is on the temple area. As you move your hand into the energy field you feel if there is a fluctuation of your pulse to either more calm and healthy feeling (which is a favorable test sign) or if it becomes more choppy or irregular.... and this tells you the object (such as food for testing for allergies) or if an area of the body is unhealthy.

To increase energy to a body part try using your palm, and to better remove or disperse energy try using the back of your hand. Visualize a circle to toning or to increase and a square to disperse. The thumb, middle and little finger are better to disperse and the second and ring finger for toning. Breathe out to tonify and in to disperse, go clockwise to tonify and counter-clockwise to disperse.

This is just a skeleton of the awesome possibilities of applying ones' attention and will for healing and wellness. Let me know if you want some other techniques to interact with.

warmly. elliot