My Story

I've woken up every day of my life feeling like I was hit by a truck. At the ripe old age of three, I was misdiagnosed as a psychosomatic patient. “Kids make these things up”, the doctor told my parents, without running a single diagnostic test. After suffering from severe fatigue and other health issues growing up, when I went to college, I couldn’t seem to stay awake in my classes, and I didn’t know why. Even though I always got good grades in school, I had to give up on college, as my health got progressively worse. I spent several years going to doctors, trying to find out what was wrong and how to fix my health.

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia / Chronic Fatigue, which is a syndrome with a laundry list of symptoms, but many in our medical system still claim the cause is unknown. Most of the doctors I saw, told me I just needed cognitive-behavioral therapy…meaning it was all in my head. If I just thought better, I would feel better. It was always judged as a character flaw and “not really real”. I ended up spending several years mostly bedridden and living with the scorn of my family and friends, because I didn’t “look” sick. Because of it, I was not able to stay in college, have a career, or have children.

It was finally discovered that I was born with two genetic metabolic disorders. Suddenly, all the symptoms made sense. If it wasn’t for my caring and smart mother, who had been a nurse, who changed my diet as an infant, I wouldn’t still be here. Even though she didn’t know what was wrong, she found answers that helped me.

These genetic disorders are not things that a person “may be predisposed to” - these are wrong codes in the DNA that people are born with. They are malfunctions in genes in every cell of the body. There is no cure for either one. Maybe it wasn’t good news, but it finally all made sense. Because it’s rare for anyone to have 2 of these types of illnesses and survive, I have been told that my condition is an anomaly and I should go somewhere for research, but no one knows where that would be. Seven medical professionals have said, “This is over my head. You need to go somewhere else.”

Now, what was I going to do with this new information?

Thankfully, I was fortunate to find some physicians who helped me (shout out to the good docs!), These doctors helped me overcome some of my health issues, and I was able to go back to work part time. I started working as a chiropractic assistant and also worked in an integrated medical office. I was amazed at the miraculous recoveries I saw involving many illnesses, and I learned about different types of therapies I had never heard of. I had a very special rapport with the patients, because they knew I had walked in their shoes, since I was well acquainted with fatigue and being in pain.

I loved helping people regain their health, so I decided to go back to school to become a Doctor of Osteopathy, to help people with chronic illnesses. Since my unfortunate misdiagnosis at the age of three, I had always wanted to become a doctor, and I could finally fulfill my dream. Even though I will probably always have to work to keep on top of my health issues because of my genetics, and many people scoffed or laughed at me, I went back to college anyway.

I'm now in my senior year of getting a pre-med degree in Biomedical Science at a research university. I’m also in the Honors college and won First Place in an Honors Symposium on a topic about genetics. So, the scoffers aren’t laughing anymore. Since many new things we’ve learned about genetics have not been incorporated into health education, in the coming school year, for my Honors Thesis Project, I plan to create educational modules regarding genetics and genetic illnesses. These modules will be for universities, medical schools, and continuing education for doctors and genetic counselors, because this information is critical to the health of so many.

Eventually, when I become a doctor, I have a plan to open an integrated medical center for regenerative health. Integrated Medicine means incorporating different fields of medicine. Since a D.O. is conventional medicine, I hope to have other practitioners join the clinic, including a chiropractor, and a naturopath. I plan to tailor programs for each patient, with advanced diagnostic testing, functional medicine, chiropractic care, lifestyle training, and regenerative treatments like using the patient’s own stem cells. The goal is to individualize programs to optimize each patient’s health. One of the main goals is to get to the root of the health issue, to discover how the patient became ill, and to find ways to reverse those problems and prevent future illness, instead of just relying on sick care. There are so many people that need help, and I believe there are answers for them.

Those with chronic illnesses need more doctors that will take them seriously and help them. It’s difficult enough to deal with health struggles, but even harder when others are telling them that they are lying about it or don’t measure up. Even at churches, people get told they just don’t have enough faith, or they’re speaking wrong and have cursed themselves, and that’s why they’re sick. A person can speak all the positivity they want, but if their cells have built-in malfunctions from the inside, the body doesn’t work right. Because of bad information, many disabled people have been scorned by our society, and is the reason we had to pass disability laws to protect the disabled. 

I still wake up every day feeling like I have a hangover, but without the party the night before. These disorders have wreaked havoc on my body for decades and caused some damage to my organs. However, God is a God of miracles, and it’s a miracle that I’m still alive. He’s given me a second chance, and I’ve made a comeback. He’s led me on this journey in amazing ways. I think it’s obvious this is what God has for me to do. It is not an easy journey and it’s been a sacrifice to do it. If I’m physically not able to go to medical school, I’ll continue on my journey of teaching about health and science. 

With the treatments I’ve already worked with and some amazing diagnostics that most have never heard of, I’ve seen great reversals and cures of illness and injuries. 

There is hope on the horizon!