Re: M.M.S. Miracle Mineral Solution and Jim Humble
WITNESSES ACCOUNTS RELATED TO THE DEATH OF SYLVIA
DURING JULY 2009 IN PORT VILA, VANUATU:
Luc Callebaut: Sylvia had heard accounts from several sailors in the area of very positive effects of the use of a mineral supplement called MMS. Having used MMS myself for over a month, I answered some of her questions regarding MMS use. Doug later asked me my USB key where I had downloaded all information I had gathered about MMS from internet so he could copy it unto his laptop. This happened on a friend's boat s/v Quest. I believe one should read all what he can before taking anything that could help his health and decide for himself. Sylvia was very interested in getting some mineral solution and asked me how to get some. I gave her the website of the company where we bought ours but she had heard that another sailor asked me to have my wife Jackie, who was in California at that time to visit family, to bring her some bottles of MMS. She asked me if she could also get a MMS kit and I said it might be possible.
EARLY AUGUST IN PORT VILA
Luc Callebaut: Sylvia called me over the VHF radio to ask me if she could get a bottle now that Jackie was back. Jackie had brought back some bottles for our own supplies and I said we could spare one, as she really wanted it now. Doug came to meet me on shore to pick it up and to reimburse us.
7 AUG 2009 IN LAMEN BAY, EPI ISLAND (the day before her death):
Luc Callebaut and Jackie Lee: In the evening during the Buffet dinner of the Outrigger Canoe Race day, we sat at the same table as Sylvia and Doug and gave them printed documentation about MMS (a mineral solution): the Standard Protocol for use of MMS, and a booklet, "MMS" for Newbies (a very easy to understand booklet explaining MMS and how to use it and precautions for use). We asked them to read the booklet and return it to us, but they were to keep the protocol sheet.
Anthony Willis: The night of the buffet dinner, Sylvia was dancing and taking photos. Afterwards, several of us went to the wharf to shoot off flares as a kind of fireworks show. Doug and Sylvia came along with some of their own flares. I had a very hard time understanding Sylvia. Her voice was very raspy and she seemed to have a difficult time talking. Other local guys from the village made the same reflection to me after her death the next night. One said that he thought that she did not look well that night of the buffet.
Lorna Wilding: I saw a woman who seemed very breathless speaking at the dinner and later I found out it was Sylvia.
8 AUG 2009:
Luc Callebaut: In the morning at about 8AM, I came on the radio to announce to the sail-boaters the weather and activities ashore. Shortly after, Silvia came on the radio to ask some clarification about the preparation of the citric acid solution that is used to activate the mineral solution. This procedure is explained in the first paragraph of the Standard Protocol, but I explained it to her again very slowly, and explained again how to use it to activate the mineral solution. I explained to her that to avoid any problem with nausea or diarrhea, she should take only 1 drop the first time, and suggested to take it in the evening before going to bed.
Jackie Lee: I heard Sylvia say over the radio, "I tried", or "I try, to put ALL of the powder (citric acid) in the bottle with some water." It wasn't clear if this was a statement or a question. That is when Luc explained that no, she should put one Tbsp powder to nine Tbsp water, and that all the powder is enough to make a total of 5 bottles of citric acid solution.
Jackie Lee: Later that day, (in my recollection, sometime around 10AM) I was in the galley preparing a drink to take ashore as we were to spend some hours ashore filming tourist activities. I heard Luc talking to Doug who was in his dinghy next to the boat. I heard Doug say that Sylvia was nauseous and had diarrhea, and what could they do about it. Luc told him to do the usual procedure that is explained in other information we had downloaded onto their computer: give the person a big dose of vitamin C, which will cancel out the effect of the solution.
Luc Callebaut: When Doug came in his dinghy, he gave me back the booklet (for Newbies) and asked me what to do to stop ill effects. I asked what effects she had. Doug said nausea and diarrehea. I told him to have her take ½ or 1 gram of vitamin C to counter any effect. I asked if she took 1 drop (since usually only 1 drop does not cause these effects). He said he assumed, but that sometimes Syvia was the type to think if a little is good, more is better. We heard nothing further from Doug. We were off the boat in the morning, but were back aboard about 1:30-2:00 PM, and definitely aboard at 3:30PM because Jackie checked her watch, because locals were to come by and take us to a little island, but that did not happen and we were on board until around 6:00pm, then back on board around 8:00PM because we were to fix dinner on board for our friends from the village.
Jackie Lee: Just after we had finished dessert, we heard Doug come on the radio calling our boat name. I answered. Doug asked if we could come by quickly because Sylvia was in real distress. His voice was very urgent. I told him I would come by as quickly as I could. I grabbed a bottle of vitamin C and my glasses in my backpack. I took the dinghy by myself to their boat. While I climbed aboard and we were going below, I asked Doug to tell me exactly what had happened during the day from the beginning. He said that Sylvia had taken 2 drops of the mineral solution and then she started having severe vomiting and diarrhea all day. I asked if he had kept her hydrated. He said yes that he gave her lots of water. I asked if he had given any kind of electrolytes, like gatorade. He said he tried to give her juice but she didn't want it because she couldn't keep it down. I asked if she took any medications, he said that she took hormones for older women. I asked "Anything else?" (Because I take estrogen and have no ill effect with the mineral solution.) He said no, nothing else. He said that she was complaining of bad abdominal pains, just before he called us. Just then Luc came on the radio telling Doug that our friends said there was a doctor in the village. While Doug was answering, I went into the back cabin calling for Sylvia. I found her on her side on the bed, eyes wide open and very bulging; she was unresponsive and her breathing was very weak, shallow and erratic. I told Doug to call Luc for the doctor and to have him bring oxygen QUICK. I tried to rouse her but there was no response. I tried to take her pulse but I could not find one in her neck or wrist. Her neck and jaws were very rigid and her fingers were very cold. I tried to hold her head and talk to her and keep her breathing. She seemed to take an occasional larger breath, but it was still ineffectual. Doug was setting up his oxygen bottle as I kept trying to keep her breathing, but breaths seemed to get weaker and weaker. He told me that she was conscious before he called us, but that she said that she thought she was going to faint, and that's when he called us urgently. At that moment Anthony arrived, before Doug was ready with the Oxygen, Sylvia stopped breathing. I yelled that we needed to start CPR and that we needed a board or something solid to put under her. They got a board quickly, but I saw that it would still be impossible to do CPR on the bed and said we needed to get her to the floor. I tried giving her breaths while we were moving her, but she seemed to have a lot of fluid in her bronchial tubes. I asked Anthony if he could do chest compressions; he said he would try. While he was giving compressions I could hear a lot of fluid noises coming from her, I said we had to turn her on her side and press her stomach in case she had vomit or to get the fluid out. We did this and some clear watery fluid came out but not a lot. We recommenced CPR and I gave her breaths but always we could hear fluid in her bronchial tubes. We continued compressions and breaths and turning her on her side and pressing her stomach to get fluid out. I had a hard time getting air into her, so we slid her toward the door way where her head could hang down over the step, and then I could get her airway open and have easier time in getting full breaths into her. In between my giving breaths, we tried to keep the oxygen mask with free flowing oxygen over her mouth and nose. During the whole time, we could not find a pulse and she did not begin to breath on her own. Other people arrived with oxygen bottles, and someone said our local friends going to get the doctor. A young man (Ben) came in with a CPR card and told us the new rule was to only do compressions, but also said we were to do 30 rapid compressions, at a rate of about 100/min, and then 2 breaths. We started to do this. Shortly after, Ben took over the compressions for Anthony, and I continued the breaths. We kept talking to Sylvia trying to get her to respond. Her fingers remained cold, but she retained good color and we got good breaths into her altho we always heard a lot of fluid. After some time, I asked someone to take over for me, and Luc took over the breaths.
Luc Callebaut: After Jackie went to Doug's boat, we heard Doug call for more help and Oxygen. James, from "Mind the Gap" came with his dinghy to pick-up me and our local friends, Tasso, his wife, and Max. He dropped me on Doug's boat with the oxygen and took the other 3 ashore to fetch the doctor. When I arrived, Anthony, his father Ian, and Ben were already there. Ian had set up his oxygen from his boat "Squid". Anthony and Doug were in the cabin holding Sylvia's hands (feeling for pulse) and Jackie and Ben were administering CPR and oxygen. I took over the mouth-to-mouth to relieve Jackie when she became too tired. We continued CPR the same way, occasionally turning her on her side to get fluid out. After a time, I told them to elevate her legs to keep the blood in her torso. At some point, Doug climbed out of the cabin to try to get us some ventilation because it was very hot and stuffy. Ben and Anthony changed roles once or twice to relieve each other.
Jackie Lee: After I was relieved from giving breaths, I went up into the cockpit to get air. I was very winded and very upset at such a tragic thing happening. Ian from "Squid" came up and tried to comfort me and get me to go to his boat so his wife could make me tea, and calm me, but I did not want to leave, if I could still help. Another Ian from the boat "Spirit of Ecstasy" was in his dinghy on the side of "Wind Castle" waiting in case someone needed transport in a dinghy. After a while, I went back down to the settee area with Ian from "Squid". We saw on the settee table many bottles of prescription medications. I looked at the bottles and there were at least 3, perhaps more with Sylvia's name on them. There may have been 2 bottles of the same thing, but there was at least 2 different kinds of medicine. I told Ian that Doug said she took hormones for menopause, but that was all. After, Doug came out of the back cabin and went to open some vents. At some point, he took his digital camera and took a photo of Sylvia and the guys giving CPR. I found this action very strange and shocking. How could one take photos in this situation and why on earth would anyone want to take such a horrible photo of his wife?
Ian Willis: I came with Anthony and our oxygen bottle, and set it up for use. I told Ian from "Spirit of Ecstasy" to stay with the dinghy in case I needed to go back to my boat or someone needed a ride. When Jackie went up into the cockpit, I saw she was upset and tried to comfort her. Later we were sitting at the settee and we saw many prescription bottles on the table, and there was a blister pack of Panadol or the equivalent on the table and one tablet was on the table. Jackie said that Doug had told her that Sylvia had complained of severe abdominal pains shortly before he called "Sloepmouche". Maybe the Panadol was for her pain. Jackie said that Doug had told her that Sylvia was on hormones, but nothing else. I saw Doug take his camera and take a photo of the area they were giving CPR. I was shocked, and I said to Jackie, "What a strange thing to do. Why would he do that?" Later on he took more photos. When he took a photo of the Doctor examining Sylvia, I told him to stop, that we did not need cameras here. He obediently sat down and put the camera back on the table. I tried to make conversation with him to take his mind off the situation. I asked him questions about his cruising, and he answered comprehensively.
Anthony Willis: I arrived at Wind Castle and found Jackie and Doug at the back cabin, and I started to explain the procedure to guard against someone swallowing her tongue if they have a seizure. Then Jackie shouted that Sylvia had stopped breathing and we needed to start CPR. During the time I was giving compressions and Jackie was doing the breathing, I saw Doug holding her hand. He removed her ring and put it up on a shelf.
Jackie Lee: I remember Doug saying that her fingers were very cold. I remember him removing her bracelet, and thinking that he was doing it to prevent restriction of blood flow to her hand.
Anthony Willis: When Doug took photos, I shouted to him, "No photos, here!" or something like that.
Jackie Lee: While Doug was sitting at the table, I said to him, "Tell me again what medications Sylvia was taking, because when the Doctor comes, he will need to know. I see many bottles of prescription medicines here, can you tell me what they are for?" He was distracted and muddled, and tried to tell me. He did mention again, "pills for, you know, when women get older", then he said that she was taking pills for hypo or hyper thyroidism. I said, " Oh Doug, you should have told us!" I asked if there was anything else. He tried to think and then apologized, "here she's my own wife and I can't think of her medications." I didn't push further, as it make him more distraught. The guys continued CPR without success and at one point Anthony came out and rushed to the cockpit to vomit, and came back saying "she's gone", but he went right back in there and kept up the CPR and encouraging the guys and telling Sylvia to give him a pulse. He was a Champion. I looked, and Sylvia was very white, even her torso. She never did respond altho after the Doctor came and Ben was listening with a stethoscope, Ben thought he felt a slow pulse, and I told them that if there was a pulse, not to give compressions but keep the artificial breathing and keep monitoring the pulse. The Doctor came after we had been doing CPR at least 45 mins, I think it was even longer. I heard Anthony ask several times whether to keep up the CPR or not. Finally the Doctor said no, that she was gone.
Luc Callebaut: When the Doctor came and Ben thought he could feel a pulse, I asked if he was sure, because we should not do compressions if there was a heart beat. The Doctor is a very old man and not very decisive. He gave Sylvia a shot of what he said was adrenaline, but he gave it to her in her arm. He was hesitant to tell us anything, but finally he said it was of no further use. He said that he could feel no pulse.
Iian Willis: After the Doctor and most of the people left, Ben and I stayed on board with Doug. He was in the back cabin where we had laid Sylvia until the locals could come with one of their fishing boats to take the body ashore. He was in the back cajoling her to come back, and he tried to resuscitate her himself. I told him to come in the salon. He obeyed easily. During our talk, I asked him about the mineral solution; how much did Sylvia take. He said that he really didn't know how much she took. During one of my conversations with him, he said that Sylvia was the kind to think more is better. He said that he waited way too long to call for assistance.
Luc Callebaut: I heard from Ian that Doug was blaming the MMS for his wife's death. But I cannot believe, after reading hundreds of pages of information about MMS that it could be the direct cause of her death. Especially since she had apparently only taken a minimum dose of 1 or perhaps 2 drops of MMS, I cannot conceive that so little MMS could provoke death 12h later! The vitamin C I told Doug to give her should have eliminated any adverse symptoms right away. Some people have reported mild nausea, diarrhea or vomiting but according to Jim Humble, the inventor of MMS, there has never been any fatality caused by MMS! Something else must have cause death. I hope that an autopsy later will indicate the real cause of her unexpected death.
After I refreshed the page I saw the rest of the threads and it was informative reading in several ways. Maybe I'm still too worried about what others think and giving the "right impression". I didn't want there to be any inconsistencies or open questions for anyone to get zinged on. I'm not even sure it was a useful concern at this point, as opposed to influenced by what I foresaw could be outside perceptions from others.
