About Me

My name is Katie and I am 26 years old. From the spring of 2011 until late in 2015 my life was inhibited by chronic illness. Over the last four years of my life, my health severely declined as a result of chronic gastrointestinal problems that lead to many other problems throughout my entire body. I lived with an undiagnosed condition that numerous doctors were not willing to take the time to diagnose or figure out how to treat. My body became extremely deteriorated, underweight and compromised from this progressive condition, leaving me unable to live my life. I went to over a dozen doctors and underwent countless procedures resulting in no answers. My body had reached a state of extreme distress, fatigue and constant pain. I am happy to say, that late in 2015 I FINALLY found treatment at John Hopkins in Baltimore MD and I am now healthy and living life again.

I invite you to read my story and learn how I have persevered through this journey. I hope that if are suffering from any health related issue yourself, that you find some of my experiences valuable to your own life. Throughout my blog I will share some of the techniques that I found most beneficial to overcoming chronic illness.

Prior to the downfall of my health, I was a healthy, active, hard-working, dancing 21 year old. There was no major traumatic life event that sparked this downfall. Aside from terrible seasonal allergies (to just about everything in nature!) and knee injuries along with tendonitis in my feet and ankles from all the years of dancing, I was a healthy gal. I was active, healthy, EATING, dancing, doing yoga and pilates every week, working 12 hour long days. My illness robbed me of all that. I had to give up any and all forms of physical activity. Walking up a flight of stairs took more energy than I felt I had. I felt like I could barely stand on my own two feet most days.

I never had food allergies. Yes I ate dairy, ice cream, gluten, and pizza! Was that what caused my body to wind up in the condition it is in? Absolutely NOT! Teaching dance, dancing, choreographing, and yoga were all a major part of my life prior to my illness progressing. I have always had a passion for the arts, dancing consecutively since I was five years old and pursuing a degree in the arts. I have dreams and aspirations to one day to able to dance again, return to practicing and teaching yoga and having a career in the arts. I graduated from Stockton College of NJ in May 2011 with a Bachelor of the Arts in Dance and a Business minor.

I love seeing Broadway musicals, comedy shows and live theater performances. I love the summer and being outside in the sun. I love seeing and spending time with friends. Sadly, I was unable to do these things because of my debilitating illness. What little energy I did have, I used for working, cooking and preparing all my own food, and fighting with insurance coverage and medical claims.

I'm engaged to my fiance who I've been with for eleven years. We got engaged right at the onset of my condition and before I knew it, the thought of being able to have a wedding became a dream, as time went on it became further and further out of reach because of how ill I was. I cannot thank him enough for staying by my side through all of my illness and helping me fight through this journey. I am starting to get excited about wedding planning =)

My life was definitely much different than that of a typical 22-26 year old who goes to work, participates in social and leisure activities and eats solid food. Over the years I suffered from this illness, my life was spent going to doctor's appointments: sometimes five or more a week, getting bloodwork regularly, taking over 25 pills a day, IV infusion therapies, going through medical tests and procedures, managing medical and insurance claims and resting. Resting, resting, resting! Doing the smallest tasks were incredibly draining. I had no energy to do anything so most of my time was spent resting, which was certainly not easy when I was used to such an active lifestyle and had a longing desire to return to that lifestyle. I spent hours each day cooking and preparing ALL of my own food which wa a lot of work when I had no energy to begin with.

I was forced to adapt to a much different lifestyle over the four years I suffered from this illness. Was it easy? Not in the least, but with the help and support of those closest to me who care about me I found strength within me that I did not realize I had to somehow persevere and continue to fight everyday until I found a solution and treatment. It was a challenge to say the least, but I listened to my body and learned what my body could tolerate. I did everything in my power to help my body heal with the hope and intention I would one day recover from all I have gone through and live my life to its fullest potential.