04/29/2026
A personal story behind Corbo Counseling.
About 18 months ago, in October 2024, I started having some strange symptoms. Nothing extreme—just enough for my GP to suggest I see a GI specialist. After an endoscopy and colonoscopy, they found and removed some ulcers. I adjusted my diet, the pain settled down, and life moved on.
Early 2025, things shifted again.
I started having stomach issues I couldn’t explain. I remember it clearly at my 40th birthday—out with friends, unable to eat the way I normally would. I brushed it off as a stomach virus and kept going.
But something wasn’t right.
Fatigue started creeping in. I told myself I was just burned out.
Then June 1, 2025 hit.
Sharp stomach pain that became constant. Whether it was a 2 or an 8, it was always there. All. The. Time.
I followed up with my GI expecting more ulcers—but they didn’t find any. That was concerning. Bloodwork showed my iron was dangerously low.
From there, things escalated quickly.
I met with a hematologist. Iron infusions started. Tests for lymphoma and other cancers came back negative (thankfully), but my iron kept dropping. Fatigue got worse. Eventually, I needed a blood transfusion.
Around this time, Crohn’s disease entered the picture—initially as a rule-out diagnosis, but I eventually began treatment for it. Some numbers improved, but my body still wouldn’t retain iron.
And the testing… it never seemed to stop.
Over 50 lab draws. I’ve never been good with needles (I pass out), and that didn’t magically improve. My last iron infusion took three tries because my veins literally close when I panic.
CT scans. MRIs. Everything pointed to inflammation in my small intestine—but the area wasn’t safely reachable for a biopsy.
We prayed hard to avoid surgery.
By fall 2025, the pain became too much. I had to take a reduced work schedule. That was hard—letting go of responsibilities I cared about. But I leaned on my faith. My church, my workplace, my family, and friends surrounded me with prayer and support.
Still, the question remained: what is actually going on?
Eventually, I was referred to a specialist GI (which I didn’t even know existed). She recommended a complex procedure to finally get a better look at my small intestine.
That procedure revealed the truth.
There was a severely damaged section that needed to be surgically removed.
Not what I wanted to hear—but at that point, I was ready for answers.
In the middle of all of this, another major life shift happened.
Because of the constant pain and the toll of commuting into NYC, I made the decision to leave my job of 12 years. With prayer, wise counsel, and a lot of trust in God, I launched my private practice—Corbo Counseling—on March 12.
Except for one elderly couple who moved out of state, every one of my clients came with me. That alone felt like a miracle.
And a new referral came in almost immediately.
Then came surgery—April 16.
There were a lot of emotions going into it: prayer, fear, hope, exhaustion. The surgery went well, and initially the surgeon said the removed section didn’t look like Crohn’s.
I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I felt God whispering to me, “I have you."
Then on April 27, the pathology report came back.
No Crohn’s.
I met with the surgeon the next day, and he confirmed it—the issue appears to have been surgical, not chronic.
Meaning… this might actually be over.
After 18 months of uncertainty, pain, fear, and constant testing, hearing that felt overwhelming. I cried more this past week than I have in a long time.
This journey changed a lot.
I had to learn how to eat differently. I couldn’t lift my kids. I had to step out of youth group and even leave church services at times because I couldn’t sit through them.
And yet—God was present in all of it.
Even in recovery, I saw His provision in ways I couldn’t have planned. The week after surgery, working remotely from my bedroom, I generated more income than I ever had before.
When I woke up from surgery, I had a message waiting from a new client wanting to start.
God is good.
I don’t fully understand everything about this journey. But I know this:
He was with me in the pain.
He was with me in the uncertainty.
And He is with me now on the other side.
And today, for the first time in a long time, it feels like I can say:
The pain part of this is over.
And I’m reminded of this truth:
We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.
Thank you, Jesus, for your faithfulness in my life!
Grateful to be on the other side of this — and for the work I get to do now at Corbo Counseling.
