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What does a mother do when her learning disabled son brings home an "F" on a beautiful poem he wrote for his English assignment? First, she tells her son what a great poem it is. He grunts. Then she gets angry because she sees how frustrated and worn down he is from years of dealing with schools' systems, who are clueless about the plight of learning disabled children.

So goes the story of my son, Carl. Thc difference between me and thousands of other parents of learning disabled children is I am a doctor and nutritionist with answers for them. When I was a child, I learned if you want something done, do it yourself. I too had many medical problems that were a mystery to my doctors. My journey was to heal myself and now it is to help my only son.

Carl is extraordinarily gifted in writing and poetry. He could decipher the New York Times by age 6, even though he was born with crossed eyes and had surgery at age 2. His vision has always been poor, yet he received several gifted scholarships for his early school years. But by the 5th grade he became confused, disorganized, with many immune problems, allergies, and bouts of depression. He began to hate school. His teachers labeled him "bright, but lazy". I tried everything to help him -- doctors, therapy, tutoring, home schooling, different schools. I was determined to find the causes of his problems rather than masking them with pharmaceuticals. In 1996, I learned about essential fatty acid testing made famous in the film, "Lorenzo's Oil". This was our first real break.

Regimens from this testing, plus my own expertise greatly improved Carl's visual, cognitive, and organizational skills, and his immune and gastro-intestinal functions. Carl's current challenge is depression, which we are working on now. Giving up is not in our vocabulary.

Oh--the poem that got the "F"? I entered it into 2 national poetry competitions. Carl's poem, Dolphin, placed and was published in both competitions, and won the Editor's Choice Award in one of them. Then the school and I had a chat.

My husband, Carl, and I decided to publish some of Carl's poetry. We produced Carl's Calendar & Poetry Collection to honor Carl and all the learning disabled children who struggle each day with low self-esteem and heartache because they don't "get it".

Recently, at the suggestion of "our own" Dottle Walters, we started a not-for-profit organization for learning disabled children, teens, and adults called WINS FOUNDATION (We're Important, NOT Stupid!) This foundation is dedicated to bringing information about positive, effective, drug-free solutions for learning disabilities to the attention of the public. What worked for Carl can also help a growing number of our nation's children take their rightful places among the best and the brightest. All are of value. And if unlocked, all have a contribution, which will make this Earth a better place.

Dr. Karen Purcell is a Naturopathic Physician and a Clinical Nutritionist. She speaks on nutrition and behavior in children, adults, and the elderly nationwide. She is a member of Who's Who in America and Who's Who in Medicine and Health Care. Dr. Purcell maintains a successful natural health practice in New York City and in San Diego, and her new audio tape, I Never Met a Brain I Couldn't Help: How to Use Bio-Medical Methods to Assist Moderate to Severe Brain Disorders can be ordered by phone: 212-580-3051. For information about WINS and information on essential fatty acid testing for learning disabilities, please contact www.winsfoundation.org.

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