Our family made the long road trip from Central America to Delaware on more than one occasion to visit old friends and family. A lasting impression was made on me as I saw little children dressed in rags, standing next to simple mud huts. Passing by the homeless cripples, whose lives were reduced to begging on the sidewalks of the city, stirred a desire to make life better for others.

When the little girl next door became very ill, I accompanied my mother on the drive thru the night to the nearest hospital. On arrival, we joined the crowd of the sick and dying, anxious for our little friend to be seen by a doctor. The indifference of the staff to the suffering of those who were at their mercy became more and more disturbing to me as the hours passed. I watched the fear sickened mother plead for help as her little one struggled to breathe. Finally the child was taken, only to be returned no longer struggling to the weeping mother. Pneumonia was not a word I understood at 5 years old, but as the baby I had held and played with was buried, a resolve was born to one day do something about suffering.

The desire to relieve suffering was taken to a new personal level two years after the birth of our oldest son. Our precious child was suffering from severe kidney damage due to an undetected, rare birth defect. Within 2 years our options were reduced to dialysis or a kidney transplant in the future. Out of a mother's desperation and love for her only child, I began to seriously study and apply the traditional uses of herbs and nutrition. To our great joy, our son responded wonderfully, and within a year his kidney function was well within the normal range.

My knowledge in herbology increased along with the need for highly specialized formulas for our son. I began to make my own herbal extracts and combine them, resulting in powerful remedies. Ten years later, as our quest for complete healing continues; he is taller than his mom, and thankfully has never been on dialysis.

News of our sons' remarkable improvements spread through family and friends. Requests for customized solutions for specific health concerns began to pour in. As i worked to meet their needs, my lifelong dream to do something about suffering became an amazing reality, and a profitable enterprise emerged. Today, the dream lives on through the products we create at Mountain Meadow Herbs, and in our ongoing contributions to organizations that care for the poorest of the poor.

While I could have chosen an easier path to compassion, an environment for the wondrous discovery of a gift was created by the difficulties encountered along the way. The journey is now alive with joy and hope. The gift of hope is meant to be shared with those who need it most, the sick, the dying and the poor among us. Here at Mountain Meadow Herbs, it continues to be our distinct privilege and honor to serve those in need of hope with respect and genuine care.