My Journey From Cancer Survivor to Health Practitioner
I realized last week that in the midst of so many “how to” blogs and scientific deep dives, I may have completely forgotten to introduce myself! I rarely sit and tell my entire health journey in one sitting; it’s so often pieced together into short soundbites for social media or alluded to in other blog posts, so I wanted to take a minute to share my story. I believe that stories hold power, and the way we tell our stories is the way we experience our reality.
I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer the month before I graduated high school. But so much happened before then that I now know contributed to my horrifying diagnosis at such a young age. I had been yo-yo dieting for as long as I could remember, going to dangerous lengths just to try to fit in with my petite, sporty friends. I was the chubby, nerdy, bossy girl and I made myself into a people-pleasing doormat in hopes of being popular. I dowsed myself in Bath & Bodyworks fragrances, ate every processed low-calorie diet bar under the sun, and helped manage my family when my mom was being treated for breast cancer… I was 15. I had already undergone three knee surgeries by the time my cancer diagnosis rolled around, so I genuinely believed my body was just broken or defective.
I graduated high school and drive up to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital that same night to be examined before my thyroid surgery. While all my friends were on their graduation beach trip, a doctor was bluntly asking me if I’d considered freezing my eggs- you know, in case we have to do radiation and that might impact your ability to ever have children. I was 18. And yet in the midst of that, I still felt that I didn’t have it “that bad”. I didn’t have “real” cancer, not like the babies with feeding tubes. I didn’t lose my hair. I just had surgery and was handed a Synthroid prescription and sent on my way. I was the “easy patient”, just like I had been the start student, the good daughter, the nice friend. Always so nice- so completely forgettable.
So I went to college, determined not to be “the cancer girl”. I took 21 course hours, learned Arabic, was in honors college, and worked part-time… oh, and I started a bakery. I kept running- kept doing. Because who would I be without my accomplishments? Without the constant praise of “you’re so smart, you’re so funny, you’re so (fill in the blank)”. I was about to find out. Two years into my undergraduate degree, I got sick. Like, really sick. I was sleeping upwards of 16 hours a day, my hair was falling out in clumps, my brain fog got to the point I was failing tests, and I kept gaining weight despite eating less than a thousand calories a day and doing an hour of cardio.
I was no longer smart.
I was no longer accomplished.
I was mostly bedridden.
And the world went on without me.
When I went to my endocrinologist begging for answers, they diagnosed me as a “stressed, anxious college girl” and offered to increase my thyroid medication. I cried in the parking lot. Obviously that wasn't the answer because I had to have two more biopsies to make sure my cancer wasn’t regrowing. Nothing was working. No one had answers for me. I thought that was it- my life was essentially over. I genuinely didn’t believe my body was going to make it to my 30th birthday- I believed my body had simply given up. I mean, if the doctors didn’t have any answers, I was just doomed to suffer…right?
Thankfully, I was SO wrong! My parents and I stumbled upon a compounding pharmacist in my hometown, and that was my introduction to holistic, alternative medicine. I ran functional medicine lab tests, and the results came back- my body was in fact running on fumes! No WONDER I couldn’t get out of bed! I wasn't crazy, my body was just burnt OUT! And so began a year and a half of talking 20+ supplements a day, alternating hormone creams, and trying different compounded natural thyroid hormones. And I made some progress…but not much.
What was wrong with me?? My parents spent who knows how much money on supplements and testing, but I still struggled. I still struggled with energy, I still struggled to keep food down because I was tired of gaining weight… I was so tired of feeling like my body and health would always be a full time job. So I rebelled- I gave up for a year. I worked as a tiki bartender and ran my bakery and basically said “f- it, if my body wants to get better she will”… and then I actually started to get better a bit. Which was incredibly inconvenient because I didn’t have a plan!
After a year off of college, I went back and finished my finance degree (that I hated) and started a job (also, not my favorite) but I had to do something with my life. I felt this enormous survivor’s guilt now that I was no longer bedridden- I once again had to achieve and prove myself and follow the five year plan… whatever that was at this point! I piecemealed my healing, DIY’ing it and trying every new wellness trend to balance my hormones and heal my gut. I read countless articles and research papers, listened to hours of podcasts and scrolled for a short eternity on social media. And I got pretty good at “fixing” myself.
I also became the health advice friend (shocker) and would share my knowledge, but I never felt that it was well-organized. How could I synthesize all these years of struggle and self-experimentation and research? I knew that my story wasn’t unique. I knew there were other women out there suffering with thyroid, gut, and hormone issues and I wanted to support them in their journey. So I started looking at certification programs in the holistic health space. I really prioritized the ability to facilitate functional labs because they helped validate my lived experience- the first step in my healing journey had been accepting that I wasn’t blowing my symptoms out of proportion, I wasn’t lazy, and I wasn’t crazy!
I pursued my certifications through the Integrative Health Practitioner Institute, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I finally had the vocabulary and holistic knowledge to educate and empower others! I became Level One and Two certified from their institute, along with all my own self-study and research. And in 2024, I founded Chrysalis Wellness, my own integrative health practice serving young women with thyroid, gut, and hormone issues. This has been the most fulfilling work, supporting other women as they come home to their own bodies that they once believed were broken or hated them! Now, I get to share compassion and customized frameworks for women to get back in the driver’s seat of their health and lives… and I’m only getting started! ✨
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