My Story

Welcome to my highly summarized personal story, where you'll get some background details on me.

August 2024

I started at Regent University studying pre-med and playing college volleyball. Pursuing a career in women's health and absolutely thrilled with my new teammates, I was so excited for the turns my life was going to take. My first college semester was exhausting and a steep learning curve in every way, but it was all a welcome challenge. At that point, I was a good student, an athlete, and an (extremely average) runner.

December 2024

I came home for winter break, excited for a much-needed time of rest. However, within the first week of December, I had my wisdom teeth taken out. Less than a week later, a virus came through our family (Merry Christmas to us). After that, I kept waiting and waiting to feel better and regain strength, but it just never came back. Every morning, I woke up praying away what I thought was some weird, long-term flu.

April 2025

I went back to school for the spring semester as a completely different person. Pain became a part of my life. I couldn't focus on anything at all, I was unable to eat or keep food down, and I became a spectator at volleyball practices instead of an actual player. My grades slipped fast, and I spent hours getting bloodwork when I should have been studying. April 7th, 2025, I was finally diagnosed with the uncommon form of congenital chronic Lyme disease that had become active after a perfect storm, inherited from my mother before she knew she was positive with the disease. I felt like I had lost all the color from my world, and my dreams began to slip from between my fingers more every single day. The Lord felt far from me then, but that feeling could not have been more wrong.

Current Life

After multiple failed treatments, procedures, tests, and more doctors than I can count, my main goal is no longer to obtain some crazy fast and easy healing like I would've done anything for a year ago. Now, I've found that being in God's hands and plan is a lot more hopeful and joyful than pushing my own agenda. Many doors have closed, but the ones that have opened, no matter how small, have been so beautiful and fulfilling. Current day-to-day life looks like a lot of symptom management, rest, schoolwork, more rest, and the occasional all-out energy-sucking and totally "worth it" experience (ex. weddings, birthday parties, kids ministry, etc.).

I'm grateful for the life I'm living and the perspective I've been given at this age. I am so eager to share some bits and pieces of that with you!

Rapid Fire About Me

Things I love:

Baking
My chickens
Being on time
Freshly washed bed sheets
Public speaking
Old hymns

Things I dislike:

The cold
Bowling
Sweet pickles
Having to drink so much water every day and then the next day, too
Mountain Dew