My Story

Just weeks before my 13th birthday, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes—a word I barely understood at the time. No one in my family had it. I had never even heard someone talk about it. I remember feeling completely lost and deeply afraid.

I spent 36 hours in the hospital, trying to absorb the reality of what my life would now include: daily insulin injections, constant blood sugar checks, and a new way of thinking about food, exercise, and my body. I still remember the first time I had to inject myself in front of the hospital staff to prove I could manage this disease. Through tears and trembling hands, I pushed the needle into my outer thigh. It felt like an enormous milestone—but what followed was even harder. “Now you’ll be doing this every day, multiple times a day, until there’s a cure,” someone said. That sentence stayed with me for years.

When I got home, my family welcomed me around the dining table. But when I sat down, one of my siblings moved away, unsure of what diabetes even was. That moment made me feel ashamed of my diagnosis. I became private and withdrawn. I pushed my parents away. And for years, I felt like I was carrying the weight of this disease alone.

It wasn’t until I turned 19 that something shifted. I developed a passion for health and began exploring alternative medicine. That’s when I discovered Bastyr University, a nationally recognized leader in integrative and natural medicine. I packed up and moved to Seattle to begin my studies in Herbal Sciences, where I immersed myself in how plants and nature support healing. That degree laid the foundation for something even greater: earning my doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine.

Throughout my education, I became obsessed—in the best way—with understanding diabetes inside and out. I explored how nutrition, herbal medicine, lifestyle, hormones, and emotional health all impact blood sugar. I studied both conventional medicine and natural therapies, and I started applying everything I learned to my own body.

That’s when everything changed.

Today, more than 23 years into my journey with diabetes, I have maintained normal, non-diabetic A1c levels for nearly a decade. I’ve experienced two healthy, unmedicated home births—something I once thought might not be possible with Type 1 diabetes. I feel strong, grateful, and deeply connected to the body that I once felt betrayed by. I thank God for the grace, perseverance, and healing that brought me here. Now, it’s my mission to help others with diabetes feel empowered, supported, and capable of achieving the same kind of lasting health and freedom in their own lives.

As a Naturopathic Doctor who lives with Type 1 diabetes, I bring more than clinical knowledge—I bring lived experience. I understand the mental, emotional, and physical layers of this condition. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, managing a child’s care, navigating pregnancy, or simply exhausted from trying to figure it all out, I’m here to help.

I don’t see you as “just a diabetic.” You are a whole person—with dreams, fears, history, and hope. My job is to listen to your story, uncover the imbalances affecting your health, and support your body in finding its way back to balance.

Your diagnosis is not the end of your story—it’s just the beginning. I would be honored to walk alongside you.