Sears radically altered his own - and the family's diet: only fish, and more fruits and vegetables. That was two years ago, and the cancer appears to be arrested.

They called all their children together the night before William's surgery and did hands-on prayer. 'I really was in a position for the first time in my life that I had to trust God,' Martha said. 'It was the hardest thing I've ever done,' Martha said.Īdd to that her husband's cancer, and it's been a rough couple of years. Both parents resisted boarding school, until they finally gave in. Several times, she had to call the police when he wandered away from the house and couldn't be found. Martha could no longer provide the round-the-clock discipline Stephen needed. Martha was handling the demands, but then, two years ago, William was diagnosed with colon cancer.

They adopted their final child, Lauren, 7. The Searses elected a few months ago to send him away to school. Son Stephen, 9, was born when Martha was 44, and has Down's syndrome. Including Erin, the Searses have only three children at home now. 'I feel it's better for both the parents and the babies to have a full-time mom in the first year. 'I think we need to tell the truth,' Sears said. His ideas, he knows, don't always sync with the way people live their lives today. If parents spend the time at home with their children in the early years, forming attachments, Sears believes, the children will go on to become more empathetic and more connected with the human race. Martha, who was trained as a nurse, has stayed home, raising the eight kids, although she has also been able to work on the books and do childbirth education on the side. The Searses live their child-centered philosophy.

The house is in Capistrano Beach, Calif., with a heart-stopping view of the Pacific, interrupted only by a sagging trampoline and a few brightly colored children's toys. That garage had a large sign taped to it recently: Erin's Home!!! Hooray!!! Daughter Erin, 15, Sears explained, was returning from a trip to Russia.

A Cry from the Heart by William Sears