I was led into the healthcare field out of necessity. At the beginning of high school, I began experiencing stabbing pains in my legs that doctors couldn’t explain. The pain worsened and spread, and despite visiting some of the best medical facilities in the country, my condition was labeled as psychosomatic. My chiropractor was the only one who never gave up, tirelessly searching for answers. Eventually, after two years of suffering, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. By then, I could neither walk nor push my own wheelchair, and I endured severe chest pains and memory loss that forced me to drop out of high school. Though I was told full recovery was rare, I fought through experimental treatments and personal determination to hold the disease at bay.

I graduated from Life University with my Chiropractic degree and completed coursework in the Clinical Neuroscience program at the Carrick Institute, where I learned from Dr. Frederick Carrick himself. During grand rounds in Atlanta, I worked alongside 10-20 other doctors to examine complex patients from around the globe, combining our knowledge to design innovative treatment protocols. Working with such challenging cases early in my career prepared me in a unique way, and reminded me of my own struggles in health.

While I eventually found a path to manage Lyme with the help of a monk and doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, my greatest challenge came six years ago with a traumatic brain injury that turned my world upside down. The road to recovery was long and grueling, filled with surprise setbacks and moments of uncertainty. I tried to return to work, but it soon became clear I couldn’t perform my duties as I once did. Doctors and specialists offered limited solutions and I was often told there was no way forward, but I refused to accept that. I took my health into my own hands, diving deep into research, experimenting with therapies, and engineering breakthroughs—both small and large—that helped me rebuild my life. My journey taught me the power of resilience and the importance of looking beyond the conventional to find true healing.

I was told that I was imagining my pain, that I couldn’t go to college, that I couldn’t complete graduate school, that I’d never get better. Having an incurable condition or a life-altering injury doesn’t mean that you cannot improve. Being told something is impossible doesn’t mean that it is. If you approach any problem with an attitude of fun and determined imagination, you can find a way to improve the future.