How water changed my life
Written by Jacques Lalonde
Joe Kangen’s Story
You are filled with a sense of hope from the moment you meet Joe Andallo (or Kangen Joe to those who know him) and his lovely wife, Shirley. His energy is radiant and healing, giving a sense of optimism. He has an infectious energy that makes you smile from ear to ear.
He had a dream when he and his wife arrived in Canada from the Philippines over 30 years ago. Like so many, he came here to build a better life for himself and his future family.
His 1st job was as a factory worker, where he spent 10 hours a day in a dark room operating a machine. “I felt like I was in prison,” he recalls. Then, one day, a taxi drove up to the factory, and a tall man in a business suit got out and called us all out from the darkroom. He was a fixer. He said the company was in big trouble. He put the manager in the cab and sent him away. I knew I had to find another job.”
Joe went outside and saw a sign outside a courier company HIRING DRIVERS. He started the next day, working 10-12 hours a day for ten years. It wasn’t easy. He had to do 20 to 30 deliveries a day to break even. But it was better than the darkroom at the warehouse. He was his own boss, more or less, and his naturally social nature was much happier to be outside meeting new people every day.
At this time, his wife Shirley was working as a dietary assistant, working at two different hospitals and had to leave at 5 am, which meant Joe had to make breakfast for the kids, take them to school and pick them up afterwards. They were only 5 and 7 at the time, and he’d have to bring them with him on his deliveries in the afternoon. “I’m not even sure if it was legal,” he says with a smile. But it wasn’t easy. They were often hungry. “They would want to go to McDonald’s, but I would tell them that it was closed because I couldn’t afford it.”
Not a great life when you can’t afford McDonald’s.
He developed acid reflux because of stress and money being so tight. He saw a doctor for two years with no success. It never even occurred to him that it might be caused by the bad water filled with chlorine he was drinking. He had not made the connection. His asthmatic son was crying all the time, and Joe was thinking about returning to the Philippines. He prayed to God for an answer.
That night at 2 am, the phone rang. It was a former classmate imploring him to go to a water demonstration.
“He kept bugging me. Finally, I said if you’re really interested come to see me. He lived in California, thousands of miles away, but three days later, there was a knock at the door. It was him and his three children, his wife and his grandmother. He told me about Kangen water. He said it would change my life.”
“I resisted at first, but eventually, I went to the office of Enagic and saw the full demonstration. I was convinced, but where would I get the money? I used my wife’s emergency fund without her knowledge. So many arguments. So many fights. Crying. Begging me to take it back.”
“But I believed in the Kangen philosophy: Change your water. Change your life. I worked part-time for a while at the Courier Co. and became a distributor for Kangen water. It was hard at first. I traveled all over Canada and the US. Eventually, I quit my courier job and worked for Kangen full time. My wife was terrified.
I flew to Europe, the Philippines, and Singapore. I even went to Hawaii for my wife’s parents’ golden anniversary. At first, no one in her family was interested, but I kept believing. Six and a 1/2 months later, we received ten checks for $1,000. That’s when my wife got on board.
I had been driving a $500 used car for 15 years. When I bought a new SUV, everyone noticed. Everyone started to believe along with me.
My wife still worked part-time for a while, but seven years ago, she stopped working as a dietary assistant and now just works with Kangen water and Enagic. We work as a team.
This brings us to today. Joe is going to do a demonstration for all of us here at HWW. Today is a water awareness presentation,” he tells us. “It’s not just about quantity. It’s about quality. Drinking 8 to 10 glasses of high-quality water is good for you. 8 to 10 glasses of acidic water filled with chlorine not so good.”
A few facts about Kangen:
- Kangen water is made by Enagic, a Japanese company from Okinawa and is the only water filter with a WQA gold seal.
- The company is over 40 years old, and its motto is Change your water, Change your life.
- Kangen is a Japanese word that means “Return to Origin.”
- When you drink it, you can taste the difference; it feels very smooth.
- Since we are 80% water, we should make sure we are drinking water as close to spring water as possible. Kangen water is exactly that.
- The machine is super high-tech and speaks eight different languages! It has eight electroplates that ionize the water, and it is multi-functional.
- It makes super hydrating, high alkaline, delicious drinking water, but it also can create a body spray and a non-toxic cleaning product.
“I no longer have acid reflux,” says Joe. “And my son’s asthma has dramatically improved. The whole family is now part of the team.” At one point in the conversation, I say Joe should be a preacher. “I AM a pastor,” he says. “I call it a ministry of health.” The family is doing very well financially. “I now have 1000 people in my organization bringing health to different parts of the world.”
“We used to look at the prices on the menu; now we just order what we want. It’s a simple pleasure, but an important one.”
“We’ve started a 40-hectare farm in the Philippines that employs many people. Joe’s mom oversees it. We support church projects and are planning to start a foundation.”
“I kept telling myself that I’d quit when I got to a certain level. Then I’d reach that level, but I wouldn’t stop. Then a higher level. Then another. Then I realized it’s never been about the money. It’s about continuing the mission of spreading true health. It’s about getting people to put good things into our body and striving for something better for ourselves.”
Fifteen years of promoting Kangen water has not dampened Joe’s unbridled energy and passion. Joe’s water awareness presentation has had a significant effect on me. I no longer drink any pop (a guilty pleasure), and I’ve doubled or tripled my daily water intake since the presentation.
Change your water. Change your life. A better model is hard to come by.
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