By Bonnie Mentel
Wesley, Rev. Lisa Sykes’ son, started showing symptoms of autism when he was 1 ½ years old. At 2 ½, his parents visited a clinical psychologist who noted Wesley’s drumming fingers and diagnosed him, saying that what he suffered from was “absolutely autism.” Sykes is positive that Wesley’s autism stemmed from mercury poisoning, given to him through vaccinations and through her own dosage of Rho(D) Immune Globulin when she was pregnant. The Rho(D) was administered due to mother and son having different blood type factors.
Sykes has written the story of her advocacy and her son’s treatment in the book Sacred Spark. Her publisher desired the title to reflect “the light in a child’s eye that is naturally there” and to “ignite a reform; a social justice.” Sacred Spark is available through booksellers, the Web, and the publisher: www.sacredsparkbook.com
Sykes is associate pastor at the Welbourne United Methodist church in Richmond, Va. She has personally embraced promoting an awareness of mercury poisoning as a social justice movement starting at the grass roots level within the United Methodist denomination. “The United Methodist women have put my book on the reading list for 2010,” she said. “The church has opened doors, and the United Methodist women are committed to advocating health for women and children.”
She is involved with legislature and is enthused with the work Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, is completing to make vaccines safer for all. Sykes is president of CoMeD, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to the elimination of mercury from medicine. Sykes voiced concern that the swine flu, or H1N1, vaccine, which contains mercury, will be available soon. She is certain that the first people receiving the shot will be pregnant women and then children.
It is too easy to come into contact with mercury. Even the US Food and Drug Administration has acknowledged that high fructose corn syrup contains mercury. High fructose corn syrup is found in most fruit snacks, candy, bread, and juice drinks. It actually becomes a challenge to buy food products that don’t contain it. “We have removed all soda from our house,” Sykes said.
Sykes will be the keynote speaker Saturday morning at the Kansas Chapter National Autism Association’s conference in Kansas City, August 14–15. She will present on “Evidence, Ethics, and Education—Ending Mercury in Vaccines and Changing Public Policy.” All registrants to the conference receive a free copy of Sacred Spark.
Wesley’s story doesn’t end with a hopeless diagnosis. Today, at 13, he is “happy, relates emotionally, likes to be cuddled, and his speech is improving,” Sykes noted. Sykes was especially thrilled to mention that her son “can type with one finger.” When Wesley was in fifth grade, a school teacher sat him in front of a computer and was amazed when he typed out the answer to her question. He now uses a school-issued laptop to communicate with his family.
