Gary Young: From wheelchair to half-marathon--

The Young Living Story

"I am grateful to my Creator for giving me a second chance at life and for the blessing of being able to walk again. I desire to share with others what I have discovered through my own healing." --Gary Young

"Gary's mission is about research and the discovery of natural substances that benefit mankind." --Mary Young

 
In 1973 Gary Young suffered a crippling injury from a logging accident that nearly cost him his life. In a coma for three weeks and intensive care for four months, Gary survived the incident, but was told by doctors that his paralysis was permanent and he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

The next two years were filled with intense pain and depression. After three attempts at suicide, Gary became determined to regain control of his life. Relying on natural healing methods because traditional medicine offered him no hope, Gary gradually and miraculously regained full mobility. By 1986 Gary was able to participate in a half marathon, finishing in the top 10 percent of nearly 1,000 contestants.

The study begins

But the pain from Gary's injuries was relentless. Knowing that the progress he made was due to his own iron will and the natural remedies he had followed, he immersed himself in study and research. Gary received a master's degree in nutrition and a doctorate in naturopathy before opening a family practice in Chula Vista, California and a research facility in La Mesa, Mexico. Here he began conducting cutting-edge research in many areas of natural healing. Finally, 13 years after his accident, Gary was able to cast off his persistent pain by tapping into the power of essential oils.

Searching for truth

Realizing the incredible gift he had been given, Gary traveled across three continents and half a dozen countries to investigate both traditional and modern uses of essential oils. Along the way he gained insights into every facet of essential oil production, from seed selection and crop management to harvesting and distillation. He also found that, despite the enormous power of essential oils, it was impossible for him to harness the full potential of the oils as a health practitioner due to the extreme variations in quality he found in all the oils that were commercially available. While pure essential oils had the ability to produce spectacular results, chemically altered or adulterated oils were often ineffective or even harmful.

New avenues open up

The unacceptable prospect of working with ordinary essential oils motivated Gary to develop his own organic farming and distillation operation in 1993 under the name of Young Living Essential Oils. Along with developing a proprietary process that preserves the purity and integrity of essential oils, he designed and build the largest, most technologically advanced distillery for the production of essential oils in North America.

Over the years Gary's knowledge of natural medicine and essential oils has become enormously valuable to countless people throughout the world. Today, the company he founded nearly a decade ago to spread traditional and modern knowledge of various healing modalities has grown to encompass more that 250,000 distributors in the United States and several foreign countries.

To learn more visit www.youngliving.com