I was diagnosed at fourteen with a progressive, degenerative neurological disease that the doctors said would leave me wheelchair bound at twenty-five and dead at forty. Luckily it didn’t happen as planned. Actually, the disease never spread to my legs, manifesting only in my upper extremities, which I am very grateful for.

I witnessed muscle deterioration at the rate of one millimeter per month. After ten years my hands were lifeless. I could no longer move my thumbs and my left hand was functionally paralyzed. At 26 I met a hand surgeon who was willing to help me restore some function to my severely disabled hands and highly stressed body. Everything he did hurt me, from opening a door to putting on my clothes and brushing my hair. I was in constant pain from the lack of muscular strength needed to execute these simple and mundane tasks of life.

I woke up in the morning wondering how I was going to survive. I never “really” knew what would happen to me, if the disease would progress as I said earlier in my life. I lived in fear, in a state of constant anxiety.

That was the story and for forty years I lived the story. It was the only story he knew.

Today I have rewritten my story and that is the gift and inspiration that I bring to others who also want to change their lives. This is what I learned:

“When you love yourself enough, you open yourself wide to your greatest potential and begin to heal any form of disease your body, mind, or spirit may have.”

By sharing my miraculous transformation from surviving to thriving, I hope to inspire you to do the same. After undergoing eighteen surgeries and 40 years of disabling neurological disease, and exhausting the medical world, I stepped out of the medical box and opened myself to the world of spirituality and alternative healing modalities. I began to trust the unknown forces of nature, the energy field, and quantum physics. I have learned to allow the flow of grace to nourish and heal me.

Healing is a process of releasing old messages stored in your DNA and having the courage to love yourself enough, trusting that you deserve a better life, a healthier existence. As I adapted to that new belief system, my entire being began to shift toward wellness. Above all, I learned to “let go” and follow my inner guidance. In doing so, I allowed my heart to be guided by intuition and grace, not my mind/ego, which for the most part was driven by fear, deep sadness, and an overriding sense of not belonging. Slowly and steadily, I was freeing myself from the only existence I had ever known and began to envision a new life, filled with joy and acceptance.”

In a deep excavation of the soul, I began to identify the energetic root of the disease and realized that if my heart healed, my body would heal, my life began to change. I recognized how much we unknowingly call upon our mental mind because our soul knows what we need to transcend pain and disease in this lifetime. As I became more in tune with the energy around me, I learned the incredible power of words and how we get exactly what we ask for. My belief system changed from what they did or what happened to me to everything in life is an offering, an opportunity to grow and ascend. More importantly, I learned that by seeing through softer eyes there was no longer room for anger.

My offer is that others trust in their incredible gift to choose, to be co-creators of their destiny. It is always a choice: remain locked in the old story, stuck in past belief/behavior patterns that no longer serve you, or create a new story, one that resonates with your authentic self. It’s about saying yes to your desires, to your higher self.

I can’t think of a better gift we can give ourselves than this.

When we forgive ourselves and others, we heal the pain and discomfort that lies dormant in our cellular structure.

I learned that forgiveness + compassion = healing.

I learned to drop my weapons and pick up my angel wings.

When we are compassion and grace we attract the same. Healing is based on the heart, not the mind.

As a result of my learning, I have completely transcended illness and live each day with joy and gratitude.

“If I can heal, anyone can heal.”

Be your heart’s desire and live your soul’s purpose.