About Us

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Jonathan “Jo” Armstrong suffered from a traumatic brain injury at birth despite being a perfectly healthy full-term baby. During his mom’s labor, the placenta connecting Jo to his mom abrupted causing him to lose oxygen and nutrient supply. Jo’s heartrate flat-lined for over two hours. Finally, he was taken out of his mom’s belly by emergency C-section. Somehow, Jo was resuscitated - truly a miracle of life. However, Jo was left permanently disabled with a condition called spastic quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. Jo was also plagued by a severe seizure disorder. As a newborn, he was given Phenobarbital to “control” the seizure activity: a barbiturate, hallucinogenic and toxin to the liver and kidneys. His mother, Julie, could not bear to give him this drug, but was made to feel like she had to by his medical doctors. Julie was in constant moral struggle by giving it to Jo, as it made him completely “zoned out” and lethargic. Julie investigated other methods of controlling or stopping seizure activity. She found that in China, seizures are not just controlled, but actually stopped with Chinese Medicine.

Due to this everyday ethical struggle and strong desire for an alternative, Jo’s mom, Julie, found a Doctor of Chinese Medicine in Los Angeles, where they lived. This doctor gave them Chinese herbs to stop the seizure activity. The pediatrician they had at the time told Julie she had to keep Jo on the Phenobarbital. He said that “there was no such thing as Chinese herbs for seizures”, and he was Chinese American. He also told Julie that if she gave Jo these herbs and tried to take him off the Phenobarbital, that she was “the worst mother he ever met in his life”. 

Julie was floored by this, and found a new medical doctor, Dr. Rochelle Feldman, the director of California Children’s Services (CCS) who oversaw and provided care for disabled children in California. Dr. Feldman helped Julie to wean Jo off the Phenobarbital while Julie gave him the Chinese herbs prescribed by the Doctor of Chinese Medicine. 

Fast forward to three months later, Jo had finished his round of herbs and went in for an EEG (electroencephalogram) to measure the seizure activity in his brain. Jo went from having severe epileptic seizure activity while asleep and on drugs, to ZERO seizure activity while awake, without drugs.

This event started the journey for Jo and Julie into alternative medicine. Jo continued to get Chinese medicine in the form of acupuncture and herbs. He remained happy and healthy throughout his life. Jo could not walk, talk or feed himself; but he defied all odds while persevering to achieve more than expected. Year after year, Jo maintained nine appointments per week with acupuncture, physical, occupational and speech therapies, and other modalities like chiropractic and Feldenkrais. He went through countless therapies and treatments, appointments, patience and pain to no avail physically.

Jo’s determination did pay off in the form of communication. He was able to respond to yes and no questions with head nods, eye blinks and vocalizations. And with further testament to his perseverance, Jo spoke with a computer operated by head switches. Jo’s mental strength overcame his physical limitation through incredibly hard, persistent work to graduate high school by using his computer to communicate, take tests and write essays.

Jo lived a full life, enjoying many activities for most of his life. Jo loved going to movies, sporting events and to the mall. He was able to go to Maui, Oahu, Sedona, Disneyland and sledding in the California mountains, to name a few of his favorite trips. Jo was also determined to vote. He remained his own guardian due to his ability to sign his name with a mouth pen. Jo was able to vote in person in every election since he turned eighteen. 

Julie was originally told that Jo may not live past nine years old, and many kids like him had to be hospitalized multiple times per year. Instead, he lived almost 27 years and was only hospitalized twice after his initial injury. Despite his physical limitations, he was smart, aware and always had an infectious smile on his face. Throughout Jo’s life, Julie dedicated herself to educating herself on the best treatments available for him and research into what may be possible in the future. For more on Julie’s journey, see Julie’s story.