My Journey To Wellness

My health journey started at 11 years old with a misdiagnosis that turned into 29 days in the hospital and a 10 percent chance to live. After an emergency appendectomy, my ruptured appendix turned into severe peritonitis and I was flown to PHX Children’s Hospital and spent 5 days in ICU. I went on to have 6 abdominal surgeries to remove the abscesses that had developed, was fed through an NG tube most of my stay and lost a third of my body weight by the time I was discharged. My body was in shambles but thankfully my life was spared by the grace of God and modern medicine. Little did I know what an impact this experience would have on the rest of my life and fertility. 

Fast forward to 2007 (age 19) when life threw another curve ball. I was flying home from Utah to Arizona and struck with an excruciating abdominal pain attack at the airport. I collapsed after vomiting in the bathroom and woke up on a stretcher and was rushed to the University of Utah hospital for emergency surgery. After waking up from anesthesia the surgeon informed me I had experienced an ovarian torsion and nearly lost my left ovary. Both ovaries were loaded with cysts and I was given a diagnosis of severe PCOS and stage 4 endometriosis.

My early twenties were a blur of more surgeries, medications, and feeling stuck in a cycle of illness and recovery. I spent several years navigating autoimmune and hormone issues, often feeling like I was trapped in a body that was working against me. Conventional treatments offered temporary relief but never addressed the root cause of my health issues. 

It wasn’t until 2012, after the heartbreaking loss of my little sister, that I truly began to heal from the inside out. Her passing was a wake-up call, forcing me to confront the grief and heavy emotions of childhood experiences I had buried deep inside. I sought professional help and began to realize that unresolved emotional distress often manifests as physical symptoms and dis-ease in the body over time. This realization was a turning point for me—a motivating driver to take my health into my own hands. I changed my major from interior design to Public Health and dove deep into nutrition and metabolic research. I went all in and never looked back—except to reflect on how far I’d come!

The last 12 years have been life changing. What a priceless gift my sweet sister left me- an opportunity to really trust God, learn how to heal, find gratitude, forgive and let go. 

In 2017 my husband and I started the IVF process. We knew, even before getting married in 2008, that having children would be a challenge due to all the abdominal trauma and surgeries I’ve had throughout the years. After several years of seeing fertility specialists, prayers were answered and IVF was a success. However, halfway through my pregnancy we received devastating news that our baby boy had developed a rare disease and would not live long outside of the womb, if he even survived birth. 

On January 7th 2019, I delivered our sweet Milo at 25 weeks and he lived for three precious hours, then returned back to heaven. I have no words that adequately described that experience other than heart shattering grief, yet overflowing peace and love that somehow filled in the cracks. Trials in life have their way of adjusting perspective if you choose to let them. The journey is hard but a grateful heart is a magnet for miracles and there have been so many miracles throughout my life. I know what the depths of despair and illness feels like but everyday I choose gratitude. 

Nearly 20 years into this health journey and I’ve found my calling. My experiences, both painful and profound, have given me a unique perspective and a deep empathy for others facing their own health battles. My mess has become my message and there is nothing I find more rewarding than helping others find balance and healing in their own lives—mind, body, and soul.