Excerpt from Mother Warriors

I explained to Oprah that with the proper diet, kids were getting better. I talked about the gut-brain connection: "Cleaning up the gut clears the brain. The connection is very real," I said.

A doctor once said to me that if people don't believe in the gut-brain connection, then tell them to go try that theory in a bar. Order a drink and see what happens. I witnessed with my own son how food alters brain response. Within two weeks of starting the diet, Evan doubled his vocabulary and the foggy world he seemed to be trapped in suddenly lifted.

Oprah said I was going to hear a lot of backlash from people for whom the diet didn't or wouldn't work. I wanted to say, "Yes, I know and it hurts my heart on a level that no one could possibly understand. I walked in these moms' shoes. I know what it feels like to hope for a miracle, and it haunts me to this day knowing that for many, it wouldn't do anything except empty pockets. But I know for MANY children it will work. For the kids who are able to speak for the first time or smile for the first time because of the information I just shared with their parents, it was worth it." But my segment was coming to an end so I had to make a point quickly.

"I'm just a mom telling a story that resembles many other moms' stories. Our kids do get better. It's like chemotherapy. It doesn't work for every cancer victim, but you're gonna give it a try."

Oprah replied, "Yes I am."

As Oprah went to a commercial break I knew my work here was coming to a close. I shut my eyes and asked God if there was anything I needed to squeeze in because the last segment was coming up. I sat in silence for a moment as Oprah talked to Holly Robinson Peete. Then it hit me...