Hello and welcome to my blog, The Spoonie Ironman. After blogging on other sites and areas of the internet, I decided to start my own and more personal blog. A place where I can not only share my own stories but advocate for the chronic illness community as well.
For years a passion of mine has been to help others. Whether it be one person I am talking to on the phone or speaking to hundreds at a conference, I am addicted to the feeling of my head hitting the pillow and knowing I was able to help others.
Why do I think I am qualified to help others fight their chronic illness?
In the short time I’ve been on this earth (36 years) I have had more surgeries than laps around the sun. Some of these have been minor, some have been major, I have been able to experience highs during remission, and lows when flares were years at a time.
Through all of this, my friends and family have always asked how I keep a positive mindset and how I keep moving forward. I always tell them the same thing…
Do I have any other choice? The other option is laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and falling into depression.
Me – The spoonie Ironman
Just a few years ago, I was bedridden yet again after another major surgery, one of the worst I have ever had to recover from. It was at this time I decided that I was going to do everything I could to turn my life around, to give myself the best shot at living a “normal” life.
In the end, I went from hardly being able to get out of bed and having a visiting nurse take care of me every day, to crossing the finish line of a 140.6-mile IRONMAN triathlon. Living proof that life can change, but the cause of this change is not a magic treatment or medication for most, it is the hard work that goes along with the proper treatment plan.
When you combine working with your doctors and a determination to do everything in your power both mentally and physically to overcome your illness, incredible things can happen.
After everything I have been through, I was told I could help others, and that is what I have set out to do here at The Spoonie Ironman.
