Why I do what I do
For 25 years I rode the roller coaster of autoimmune disease and chronic illness. Several mis-diagnoses and other true diagnoses brought setbacks and discouragement but the most heartbreaking news was that having children of my own was medically impossible. Determined to find answers and feel better, I fought for my health and my four miracle babies. Each came with their own blessings, challenges and learning opportunities. When my youngest was two years old, I spent a year in my bed. There are no words for the deep exhaustion, pain and despair I felt. I longed to go to my oldest son’s middle school basketball games and return to church. Those desires actually created an excitement to get a wheelchair.
The possibility of an outing in a body that didn’t look or feel like me led me to a follow a young mom who was blogging about fashion. I thought a cute outfit may change my life. She’d just had a baby and invited her community to join in a weight loss program with her. I thought, “I can try, but it probably won’t work for me.” And sure enough, it did not work for me, and so she said, “I really think you should talk to one of the doctors on our board. His name is Stephen Cabral and he can help you.” I looked up his name and ordered his book, THE RAIN BARRELL EFFECT. I found myself reading it out loud to my family saying something like, “Listen to this! It is almost my story, except he got better! Maybe I can get better too!” It gave me hope and enough courage to order “The Big 5” functional medicine labs even though I felt everything had already been tested dozens of times. Once I received my results, instead of ordering a wheelchair, I ordered new supplements and a sauna to begin healing once and for all.
Years later, I am nearly symptom free and enjoy all of the good things a healthy body and mind allow me to do. In my studies to help myself and my children, Heaven opened a path for me to help others as well. It is a joy to help others find health and enjoy the best parts of life! Click here to allow me to share how I can help you make the change you are looking for.
People often ask me, “So, what all was wrong with you? Why were you so sick?” The list of symptoms and diagnoses is long! Sometimes I look at these words and remember specific offices, pain and heartbreak. This list grew over 25 years of hoping I was seeing the right doctor, hoping they would run the right test, and hoping they could figure out the right treatment with the fewest side effects to help me feel well. It is cruel when your best hope is for a doctor to find something seriously wrong (instead of telling you once again that “your labs look great”). I didn’t look as sick as I felt so I wanted something to prove it. I was too sick to live and too “normal” to die.
I do what I do now, because this list also came with a million dollar education. (I’m married to an accountant and he confirmed that cost is no exaggeration!) I’ve googled and researched and read and consulted and cried, studied and certified and researched some more. If my symptoms weren’t enough, my kids all came with their own health journey and required me to dig deeper than ever to help them. The saying is true: “A worried mother does more research than the FBI.” My children continue to be my most challenging clients and my greatest teachers. Our family’s symptoms and learning were not in vain. It was part of a much bigger plan so I can now help you! And, just in case you also wonder what all was wrong with me… here’s the list:
Atypical Hypothyroidism
Atypical Celiac Disease
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Infertility
Atypical Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Lyme Disease
Recurrent Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Chronic Sinus Infections
Chronic Strep
Anxiety
Depression
Repeated Cases of Pneumonia
Mold Toxicity
Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Allergies (food and environmental)
Anaphylactic Shock
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Constipation
Hypoglycemia
Acid Reflux
Hives
Edema
Migraines
Insulin Resistance
Fatty Liver
Joint pain
Shortness of Breath
Rapid Heart Rate
Insomnia
Hormone dysregulation
Systemic Inflammation
Slurred Speech
Muscle Weakness
Brain Fog
Parasites
Neuropathy from shoulders to fingertips
Periodontal Disease
Tooth Erosion
P.S. The “atypical’ diagnoses were pronounced by different doctors in three different states, years apart. The truth is, a disease is a name for a collection of symptoms and my body couldn’t get it quite “right.” As you can imagine, my body also didn’t respond well to the “normal” treatment protocols. It took four endoscopies within a six year window to confirm that my small intestine was completely smooth with no functional villi remaining to FINALLY diagnose Celiac disease. I can’t fault the doctors entirely though, the blood test that would have diagnosed my Celiac antibodies wasn’t even available until 2010, nine years AFTER my diagnosis. I was “gluten free” before anyone had ever heard of it.
In addition to this list, my kids’ symptoms add chronic urinary tract infections, kidney stones, interstitial cystitis, asthma, croup, immune dysfunction, tonsil stones, more strep, candida, gut dysbiosis, and joint pain - all summing up a whole lot of mold toxicity - to the list of things to research, remediate and resolve.
Certifications & Accreditations
Integrative Health Practitioner (IHP2M, HPH)
Mind Body Spirit Release Practitioner (MBSR-P)
Integrative Foot Zoner (will complete in July 2025)
Holistic Health Coach (HHC)
FASTer Way to Fat Loss Coach
Bachelors of Science from Utah State University
