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My Story
A Diagnosis That Changed Everything
My story has many chapters, and honestly, it continues to evolve every single day.
But since people often ask, here’s my best attempt at putting it into words.
In 1985, I woke up one morning and couldn’t see straight. Then my balance went. Then came the numbness—from the chest down.
The neurologist who diagnosed me stopped counting the lesions at 25, sent me home to "get my affairs in order," and told me my path to a wheelchair would be swift.
He said it like it was fact, as if he were seeing my future in a crystal ball.
I did what any reasonable person would do: I fired him.
At the time, there weren't many pharmaceutical options for MS.
Copaxone was still in clinical trials, and the new neurologist I found—a stand-up guy who has since contributed a great deal to MS research—told me the truth: drugs weren’t a great option, there wasn’t much he could offer, and I should go live my life.
So I did.
And that was the last time I saw a neurologist—somewhere around 1987.
Through Nobody’s Eyes But My Own
Looking back, I am forever grateful for that neurologist’s honesty.
He didn’t riddle me with fear, doubt, or guilt. He didn’t play the ego card.
We had mature, respectful conversations that allowed me to explore my own health through nobody’s eyes but my own.
Over time, I began to recognize the things that made me feel worse—and the things that made me feel better.
Soon after my diagnosis, people began reaching out.
They wanted to know what I was doing, what I recommended.
At the time, I was working in corporate communications and had little advice to give beyond the one thing I knew for sure: "Live your life."
And for a while, that was enough.
A Journey of Discovery (And a Little Stubbornness)
What followed was a journey of discovery, resilience, and, if I'm honest, a healthy dose of stubbornness.
I refused to accept that MS was a one-way ticket to decline.
Instead, I threw myself into learning everything I could about health, healing, and how to support my body through its ups and downs.
That curiosity eventually led me to naturopathic medicine—first as a patient, and later as a doctor.
Since then, I've had the privilege of working with thousands of people, helping them move beyond their MS diagnosis and build lives that feel full, vibrant, and—most importantly—their own.
Relapse After an All-Night Beer Fest
The next ten years weren’t without challenges.
My bladder sometimes gave me problems. I experienced transient numbness, tingling, and occasional heaviness in the legs.
In 1986, I was hospitalized again after an all-night dancing beer-fest (dah!) and received IV steroids for the second time.
My next full-blown relapse came around 1994.
I was living at the beach and could barely walk a short city block to the drugstore—stopping every ten steps to recover, praying my bladder would cooperate.
Definitely not the highlight reel of my life.
And yet, it was during that time I met the incredible man I later married—and more than three decades later, we are still happily together.
Questioning the Status Quo
As time went on, big pharma brought new ideas to the table.
Neurologists, once revered diagnosticians, were now forced into clinical roles many of them openly admitted they weren’t comfortable with.
Some pushed medications aggressively from the moment of diagnosis. Others took a more cautious approach, suggesting the drugs were too toxic for long-term use.
And some simply handed patients a mitt full of pharmaceutical brochures and said: "You decide."
Support for clear, informed decision-making?
It was never truly there for me.
After my first relapse, another neurologist (I was living in Germany at the time) suggested chemotherapy—what we now call DMTs—with the cheerful disclaimer: "By the way, you won’t be able to have babies."
I was in my twenties, I wanted to make that decision on my own, so I declined.
I have always questioned the long-term consequences of these medications.
I believed there had to be another way.
Learning to Chart My Own Course
Like many of you, I started to learn on my own.
And wowza—there was a ton of information out there.
The first food-related book I read, written by neurologist Roy Swank, was incredibly compelling.
No one had ever told me anything about food and health before.
Shortly thereafter, I began seeing my first naturopathic doctor. The results were undeniable.
Naturopathic philosophy—the concept that the body’s natural state is health—resonated deeply with me.
By 1997, I left the corporate world behind and went back to school full-time to study naturopathic medicine.
In 2001, I began seeing patients as an intern.
By 2002, I had opened my own clinic.
And my primary care provider has been my naturopathic doctor ever since.
The Status Quo Is Killing Us
My first clinical "aha" moment came quickly when I realized just how sick our culture had become.
Nobody was talking about disease prevention.
Nobody was connecting diet, lifestyle, and stress physiology to long-term health.
Naturopathic philosophy does.
In my practice—both personal and professional—diet and lifestyle are always the first steps toward recovery. They form the foundation that just makes everything else work!
Losing Myself—and Finding My Way Back
Over the years, I continued to build a thriving practice.
I also walked through the profound stress of saying goodbye to my parents, one after the other.
After my mother’s death, while managing her estate and selling the only home I had ever known outside of my marriage, something shifted.
One day, getting into my car, I realized I had to lift my legs with my hands just to move them.
I had lost sight of the most important person in my life: myself.
Creating My Own Path to Recovery
Since that time, I've worked hard to create my own path to recovery.
Because I know I can.
Because I know I am able.
Because I know the best and most current science supports it.
It hasn't been easy.
I am, after all, a chronic Type A personality.
Some days feel like two steps forward, one (or two, or three) steps bac.
Yet despite it all, I’ve continued moving forward.
Where I Am Today
Today, I continue to see patients through private practice.
I also love doing group work (so stay tuned for workshops and my main 10 week program - Transform MS.
I currently use a scooter to allow me to rebuild my mobility in a healthy way.
I work out 4–6 times a week, and I remain endlessly fascinated by how responsive the body is, even after years of disability.
Patience is my new best friend.
A Recent Reflection
Not long ago, I had an appointment with a new healthcare provider.
After a thorough evaluation, she looked at me and said: "There’s no way you’ve had MS for 40 years."
It was a powerful moment, one that forced me to step back and reflect—not on how hard the journey has been, but on how far I’ve come.
Even with the current challenges, my life is full.
I work. I play. I love. I laugh. I create and truly do live beyond the diagnosis.
Looking Forward
I do what I do because I love it.
I love rolling up my sleeves and working with people who are willing to educate themselves, make changes, and understand that recovery is a process.
I am inspired every day by those who take an active role in their healing.
And I remain committed—to my patients, to this path, and to my own ongoing recovery.
The next, and perhaps best, chapters of my story are yet to be written.
The way I see it, MS is not a sentence—it’s an invitation.
An invitation to get curious about your body, to challenge the outdated narratives, and to shape your own path forward.
And I’m deeply grateful to be walking this journey.
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