At merely 25 years of age, what I thought was a bout of food poisoning, turned out to be a massive stroke that left me all but dead. In all honesty, I would have much preferred death then, yet instead I was imprisoned in my own body; locked-in, unable to move or talk. To say I was suffering with extreme depression during that period is a gross understatement.

As it turns out, my injury was an enormous infarct of the basilar artery and part of the cerebellum. I had suffered a brain stem stroke and all motor functions, including my speech, were completely knocked out. Although they told me at the hospital before admitting me that they believed I was having a stroke, I thought I’d be out of there in two weeks tops, since that word  stroke, was not in my vocabulary back then! Instead, I lived in that hospital for 43 days and two additional months at a rehab center.

I was at therapy one day and was handed a hairbrush in my right hand that I had begun moving. The therapist told to comb my hair. That’s easy, I thought. Until I realized I couldn’t even get the brush near my head and I began sobbing uncontrollably at the mountain that undeniably lay ahead.

My biggest grief amongst a sea of griefs, was my speech. I had apraxia/dysarthria, and there was absolutely no bass behind my garbled speech. Think an intoxicated Marylin Monroe! I was barely intelligible in a quiet place and remember thinking how I would have gladly traded a paralyzed arm for normal speech. Today though, I realize the two are equally awful options. In addition to my severely impaired speech, I had to relearn how to eat, drink, walk, use the bathroom, handwriting… you name it. I often compare it to going through a second childhood, but with awareness this time around - of what I could no longer do and the immense sorrow that brought. I lived in a constant state of frustration. I actually lost all hope somewhere in the process. If it were not for my family, I’d have easily just thrown in the towel.

Where I’d previously thought of myself as a good natured person, depression was now my normal state. Finally after two or three intense years that included some unorthodox treatments, though, I was able to walk unaided and joined a gym. I went back to school for a while too. I was introduced to personal development and I stopped seeing myself as a victim of circumstance somewhere during this period.

I consciously started to look after my own health, with a particular focus on diet, running the gamut of possible regimens. I went as far as becoming totally vegetarian for almost two years. And over time, I did make some slight improvements health-wise. Although I was a far cry from making a total recovery, all I had to do was look back at where I had been to be immensely grateful with the plateau I’d reached. I had made a miraculous recovery, where doctors plainly told my family I’d be in a vegetative state for good.

At the beginning of 2020, I signed up to a three month nutrition program based on woman’s intuition. I say that because I believed I was healthy already. My idea was just to learn a bit more about the topic. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine anything beyond acquiring some new knowledge could or would happen. Nonetheless, I can now say I’ve gotten my life back… completely.

What used to sound like a hard to hear whisper, my voice has recovered much of its bass. My blood pressure is within normal range since forever, instead of the usual 90/60. My circulation dramatically improved, which alone is obvious by the fact that my nose doesn’t turn beet red anymore outdoors in the cold New Jersey winters, like it had done as far back as I remember. And my energy and balance even improved to the point where I can actually hike again! I’ve since logged over three pages of additional benefits, and am only highlighting the ones that really stand out for me. What has been most impactful though, is that I’m the happiest I've ever been. This experience has been so powerful for me, that I got certified and now coach this nutrition program, and am filled with a sense of purpose like never before. I’ve often asked myself though, where would I be today had I known this information when I first had the immense stroke in 2005? The journey has been long and I would absolutely not want to go through any of it again. Yet, I can genuinely say that I wouldn’t take a minute of it back, for it has made me the person I am today. And I love that person.

What’s more, having lived through this experience at such a young age has granted me with great awareness, intuition, and the ability to see blind spots very clearly. I decided to become a certified Coach so I can share the philosophy that has given me my life back.

If you are tired of being sick and tired and want to live life to the fullest again, book a discovery call!

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