My Story

I was in my mid-20’s with my world ahead of me…

I was on my way to medical school and newly married. My husband and I were excited about spending an upcoming Valentine’s Day weekend together.

That weekend I had a raging headache, but I was able to control it with some over-the-counter medication. Then, on Sunday afternoon, a searing pain went through my stomach while I was walking along the beach. Doubled over in pain, my husband helped me back to our hotel where I began to hemorrhage from my bottom.

I spent hours crouched in pain in the bathroom, losing blood and getting weaker.

Scared and in shock, we did nothing.

I was embarrassed and confused when the bleeding didn’t slow down. How was I supposed to get out of the bathroom?

Twelve hours later, when I was so weak I could only crawl out of the bathroom, I called my brother, a doctor. It took his vast medical training to yell, “What are you calling me for? Get to a hospital!”

The next 72 hours flew by in a whirlwind of doctors and tests and procedures.

I was hospitalized and then given the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. I will never forget the moment the doctor gave me the news. He simply stated those life-altering words, “You have Crohn’s disease,” and then he walked out of the room.

I left the hospital with a Hep-lock, a tube in my arm to self-inject medication, and an incurable disease.

I felt lost and confused, as though I was in a haze and I had no way to see clearly. I recall driving home with my husband wondering what had just happened to my life.

For the next 14 years, I lived the life of a very sick patient.

I was hospitalized 162 times and survived sepsis twice. Every facet of my world was impacted by my illness: my family, my marriage, my work, and my children.

I never made it to medical school, but I was able to devote my life to helping chronic disease patients manage their lives successfully; find clarity in the chaos; and use adversity as a catalyst for growth, development and happiness.

You’ll never believe the end of the story…

Fourteen years after my initial diagnosis, a world renowned doctor figured out that I had been misdiagnosed!

It’s unbelievable, but my illness over the 14-year period was caused by taking numerous medications for the disease I didn’t have! The initial bleed that led to my diagnosis of Crohn’s disease was determined to be an adverse reaction to the medication I took for my headache!

I was pulled off all medication, and I had a full recovery.