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Hi friends & family,

I’m writing to you at a pivotal moment in a very long and humbling health journey. Most of you are aware that I’ve dealt with chronic gut issues since 2011. I’m writing now to seek support and thus want to vulnerably share what I have experienced.

To say it has affected my quality of life is an understatement. While I’ve certainly still been able to enjoy life and prosper in many ways, the reality is I have been inhibited from working full-time for the last 10 years, frustrating my career growth and creating consistent financial stress. Being sick has also impacted my relationships and my ability to have a normal social life, significantly affecting my mental and emotional health. I don’t go into detail about this often—not because of embarrassment (by now, I can talk about bowel movements all day long)—but because I try to turn my mind away from it as much as possible and actually enjoy my life and time with you. However, behind closed doors, I have been in immense pain.

While doctors haven’t been able to conclude a medical explanation for my issues, they have been extreme and persistent. I experience sudden, erratic, and urgent bowel movements that put me in the bathroom for a total of around 3–4 hours every day. Between bathroom visits, I often feel nauseous, have a distended abdomen, and live with the anxiety of unexpected diarrhea or room-clearing gas. I often go without eating in order to avoid upsets during work or events. My symptoms didn’t always look like this, but this has been my consistent experience for about 8 years. Having a schedule has been nearly impossible. And things such as road trips or getting on an airplane—where my gut tends to get extra upset—have thrown me into panic, giving me strong aversions to travel and anything of the like.

As an optimist and a fighter, I have attempted healing from every angle, never accepting the fate of lifelong suffering. I have to believe that my body is made to heal.

While this isn’t an exhaustive list— I have gone the route of Western medicine, prescription drugs, extensive testing, and imaging. I have changed my diet drastically, tried an incredible amount of functional medicine doctors’ recommended supplements, and have sought emotional healing, doing the deep inner work that inevitably emerges from the grief of losing so much from this sickness. I do believe the body is inextricably connected to the psyche, heart, and spirit—and that feels especially true now in my journey, where doctors are befuddled and can only offer what even they call “bandaids.”

While it’s been absolute hell at times to experience dysfunction in my body every day without exception, I can say this journey has led me to incredible depths with God and in relationships—especially with myself. For that growth, I can genuinely say I am grateful.

Still, I am deeply in a place of need, and it is finally time to share this openly and invite you in a bit closer for support.

I have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a specialist for four months of personalized medical care that also encompasses psychological, and emotional support—a holistic reset for my gut, damaged pelvic floor, and nervous system. This costs $8,000, plus travel and lodging expenses, as they are out of state. So this is the point where I am honestly inviting any and all help.

If you’re able to give, financial support is most needed and every dollar counts—whether it’s $5, $50, or $500. I am just so grateful for any support in getting to this specialist.

If giving financially isn’t possible for you right now, prayers, loving thoughts, or even sharing this with someone who might be able to help would mean the world to me.

Thank you for taking the time to hear my journey. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for seeing me and for any way you feel moved to help.