The Beginning of Brainstem Care
October 15, 1997.
Isaac was born. My first child. My first son.
His birth was traumatic. A forceps delivery caused severe compression to his skull. His umbilical cord was wrapped tightly around his neck multiple times. He stopped breathing. His heart stopped. For thirty seven minutes, there was no heartbeat.
The medical team told me he would not survive.
After twelve days in the NICU, we were sent home with a bottle of Phenobarbital and no plan for follow up care. When I asked if a pediatric neurologist would see him again, the request was declined. I didn’t understand what that meant at the time. Years later, I do.
Isaac lived. But his challenges were profound.
When Everything You Know Isn’t Enough
At the time, I was early in my chiropractic career. I had trained in upper cervical chiropractic and believed deeply in the precision and science of what I had learned. Many patients were responding well. But for Isaac, the answers were not there.
The methods and philosophies I trusted were not meeting his needs.
For more than a decade, my primary goal was simple and relentless. Keep him breathing. Isaac slept only two to three hours at a time for over ten years. That level of intensity changes everything. How you see the body. How you see healing. How you see time. How you define success.
I was forced to ask hard questions. To stay humble. To admit what wasn’t working. To let go of certainty and stay open to change. Out of that willingness, Brainstem Care was born.
A Different Path Forward
Those years were not easy.
Choosing not to return to traditional approaches meant standing apart. It meant criticism. It meant isolation. At that time, children with special needs were rarely understood or celebrated. Too often, they were simply tolerated.
But Isaac taught me something essential. Healing does not come from rigid belief systems. It comes from listening, observing, measuring, and adapting. It comes from caring deeply enough to keep going when the answers are not obvious.
Along the way, there were people who showed up. Patients. Friends. Family. Their support mattered more than they will ever know. No one walks through something like this alone.
Isaac’s smile, his laugh, his presence became a constant source of light. His name means laughter, and that laughter continues to fill the office. He comes to work with me each day, as he requires full time care, and his joy has touched thousands of lives. That is the beauty found within special needs.
The Heart of Brainstem Care
Today, Isaac and thousands of children and adults are experiencing the results of Brainstem Care. This work continues to evolve. It always will. The pursuit of better understanding never ends.
Brainstem Care is not just a procedure, a technique, or a set of protocols. It began with a mother and her child learning how to survive, and then how to thrive. It is about carrying the hope, knowledge, and strength gained through experience and offering it to other families without judgment.
Every person is different. Every nervous system is unique. Care must be thoughtful, precise, and personal.
Families come to Marshall Spinal Care from near and far because they believe there are answers. Real answers. Especially for those who feel chronic, incurable, or undiagnosed.
That belief, and the work we do together, is Brainstem Care.
That is Isaac’s story.
Wishing you and your family all the best.
— Dr. Mary Marshall