I was 16 years old. I had this terrible chronic cough that sounded like a smoker’s cough. I went months doing tests at my primary doctor, pulmonologists, specialists of all sorts, trying to get to the bottom of it. Then one day I did a test called “a sweat test”. I didn’t know what it was for….when my father and I went to this specialist’s office we did the normal family medical history but more thoroughly than I remember ever going through it before. And then the doctor began explaining to us the results of my sweat test and explained what Cystic Fibrosis is, how there are 200 different mutations. It’s an incurable disease, usually children get it from an early age or in their teens, how they don’t have a long life expectancy and, unable to have children. I didn’t understand what I was hearing and why. I looked up at my father whose eyes were just deadlocked on the doctor, as if he tried not looking at me. I didn’t understand. And yet, I think I did. We didn’t talk much walking back to the car, barely anything said. I went to my room, I was always so tired at that time. My mother ended up coming to my room, very calmly and hugged me and said no matter what we will get the very best doctors and I will be okay. 

When you hear things that you would never connect to have to think about in your life, especially at 16 years old, it scares you. Sometimes that fear gives you perspective. Sometimes things you would have taken for granted don’t go for granted ever again. We don’t know the purpose of why the universe presents us with these fearsome challenges, but it shapes us in ways we can never expect. When I used to visit my grandfather I would check my email on his computer. One time I went on and saw an icon on his desktop that he was researching Cystic Fibrosis. So everyone was talking about this? It must be serious. So I did what no person should do. I looked it up on the internet. 

For months, I struggled to breathe, struggled to train, struggled to sleep, coughed terribly, and was slowly getting depressed. I couldn’t do what I wanted, and I felt weak all the time. I hated feeling weak. I was miserable, and as if teenage years weren’t difficult enough with changes in friendships and borderline learning to stand on your own feet, take on responsibilities, studies, etc, all of it seemed so minuscule compared to how I felt. It came to a point I am ashamed to say, I didn’t want to go on. I was done. It was probably the most negative time of my life.

But one day, I prayed to God. I literally said “Okay God, let’s renegotiate here….meet me halfway. Rid me of whatever this is once and for all and I promise you I will make the very best of my life. I will take on every opportunity, I’ll take big risks so I don’t ever feel regret, and I promise to only make the best intentions for my life and others. And I invite you to it all with me!” With that prayer, I began acting as it if I were healed. Every day. I put my feet on the ground and say with each step Thank-You, each step. Brushing my teeth, thanking my my healing. Singing in the choir, grateful to be healed. Acting like I was cured, laughing and making the best of everything. I was out of training for three months. My closest friends had a surprise 17th birthday for me and it elated my heart and more. I knew it was time to go back to training. I went back to teach and train. I was in my element, I felt alive. I forgot anything else was happening in my body. I didn’t give it any more attention that it deserved. I made plans, BIG plans, not knowing how I’d do any of them, just knowing I would do it all! 

It was a couple months after I returned training and made this decision and after I turned 17. I had gone back for the usual check up, the heavy patting on my back and sweat test. But this time we were there FOREVER. The nurse came back and sternly said we needed to come back the next day to do it again. She didn’t say why, my father looked concerned, asking why but didn’t get an answer. I didn’t care, because again, I wasn’t giving attention to anything that didn’t serve my healing and well being. So we did go back next day, and a few days after that and met the doctor in his office. He held his head and shook it a few times. He looked up and said “I can’t explain it. There are NO traces of the Cystic Fibrosis anywhere.” Well of course not! I renegotiated, remember?! Kidding aside, when you have an experience like this, there is NOTHING like the flood of not just happiness and relief, but FAITH and BELEIF, and KNOWING of what you experienced. There is absolutely NOTHING more powerful! They told me it’s incurable. They were right. Incurable to me always had and always will mean “CURE FROM WITHIN”. There more to this world and our bodies and minds than we will EVER know. Ever since then, I made good on my promise to God. I have made choices most would think made no sense, not reasonable, perhaps even irresponsible! But I never regretted them. They may have been challenging or even put me in challenging spots, but my life has always been so fulfilled. The people I meet, the things I’ve gotten to do, the places I’ve been. I started my business at 19 years old, I started things that got so much criticism and push back, I’ve done for people that others had such opinions about—but it was all in alignment to that promise I made so long ago. I have always made the very best of my life. No it hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows but it’s been a very REAL and well lived life. Every day when I walk on the mats I say the same thing: It’s a beautiful day to change people’s lives. I have always made it my mission to share those tremendous feelings of being the best version of YOU and living the BEST life you can! The martial arts has always been my tool and platform for just that. 

My next big challenge is running my first half marathon March 1. I am raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It’s a cause I have a deep connection to. Today, there have been tremendous innovations to the treatment and cure of Cystic Fibrosis. Kids living longer, some even cured! Although I have other difficulties, I push on. Running a half marathon seems impossible for me right now with everyone I have going on. But so did black belt testing in certain systems, so did opening a business at 19, so did taking on new responsibilities, so did doing for other people. And you know what? I never take for granted the PRIVILEGE it is to be able to do something like this, when there are people who WISH they could and can’t. This is my cause for this run. This is part of my story. And I hope you will support me in this cause and for this purpose.