How nutrition + exercise saved my life (literally!)

Hi! I'm Jess!

You may have seen me around the Crushery! I am responsible for coming up with all the nutrition and recipes for everything smoothie related at CrushCamp!

My family and friends tease me about how much I love food, but the truth is I credit food, nutrition, and fitness with saving my life. Literally.

When I was 15, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. From that moment on my life revolved around doctors’ appointments, medications, needles and MRIs. By the time I was 19 I had gone through 3 relapses and used a cane more than I would like to remember. For me, the medications were not effective enough; my MRIs were constantly getting worse, I was in pain and needing a cane to walk, and I was taking 3 Ritalin a day just to get through my university classes. Just in case college isn't challenging enough ;-)

When I was 19, I was taking my first nutrition class as part of my Health Science degree and it sparked something within me. I couldn’t get rid of my MS diagnosis but there were 2 things I could control: my fitness and my food! My goal became to create the strongest base possible. I knew that the stronger and more prepared I was physically, the faster I could recover from my relapses.

One year later my Strongest Base Possible theory was tested. My MS attacked my legs for the 2nd time. Yes I did need the cane again, but my relapse recovery time went from 6 months to 3 weeks. I can also tell you that I was happily off the Ritalin and no longer in pain. This was the confirmation I needed that I was on the right track.

Over the next 10 years I completed two University Degrees (Health Science + Nutrition) and a Holistic Nutrition program in my journey to learn everything I could about treating my own disease. How could I make my base even stronger? What diet or workout or wellness secret would put me in the best position to bounce back from my relapses? What small changes could I make to slow the progression?

Last summer, I underwent a treatment called Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or HSCT. Essentially my existing immune system was wiped out with 11 rounds of chemo in 8 days, before receiving 100 million of my own stem cells back. Think of it like a hard reset of my entire immune system.

After the transplant, my doctors called my recovery miraculous. I recovered faster than they had seen anyone recover from a transplant. I was released from the hospital in under a week. I was back in the gym in under 3 weeks, and back to work in 6 weeks. Originally, my neurologist told me to anticipate being sick for the next 6 months to a year.

They said I recovered so quickly because of how healthy and strong my base was going into the transplant.

I believe in wellness. I believe in the healing power of food. I believe in the idea of a strong base. I spent the 8 years prior to my transplant preparing my body for battle, and when the time came, I won the war. My MS is now dormant, my MRIs show no inflammation, and for the first time in 13 years I am symptom free. Right now I am healthier than I ever remember being.

Through my nutrition & wellness journey I have tried just about every “diet” under the sun – Wahls, paleo, intermittent fasting, you name it, I've tried it. I did finally find a diet that worked for me (I am a proud vegetarian, with a love of protein and cake!). The main thing I have learned is that there is no “one size fits all” solution. There is a way of eating that is right for each person and it is my job - and my passion! - to help people find it.

Whether you are battling an autoimmune disease or simply trying to fuel your system for a better life, I can help you find a system that works for YOU and offer you the accountability and coaching to see it through.

I am not joking when I say fitness and nutrition saved my life. 14 years into my diagnosis I am still a long distance runner, boxer and CrushCamp fanatic. Many of you may have seen me in the Crushery or in a noon CrushCamp class, and you likely didn't even realize I had MS.

I would love to chat more with you about your goals, and to see if the CLEAN-19 Challenge is the right fit for you. Click here to book a consultation with me.