09/04/2026
💔 Sometimes healing means letting go of what you love… to make room for what's next. 💕
Wednesday I walked out of KU Medical Dermatology in Kansas City with a whole new list of DOs and DON'Ts—and honestly, some of these new orders are going to completely change my life.
My doctor truly believes that if I listen to my body and follow these new instructions, I may have a real chance at getting my dermatitis and constant flare-ups under much better control. The goal is to calm my system down, reduce the constant reactions, and hopefully reach a place where I am not living in a flare-up all the time or constantly relying on long-term medications.
But with that hope comes some really hard changes.
One of the biggest?
I have to step away from my massage career 100%. 💔
For now, my life needs to be as free as possible from the things that may be triggering my skin and immune system.
That means saying goodbye to so many things that most people don't even think twice about:
🚫 Essential oils
🚫 Fragranced oils
🚫 Perfumes
🚫 Lotions and products with fragrance
🚫 Air fresheners
🚫 Candles
🚫 Fragranced deodorants
🚫 Incense
🚫 Dove products
🚫 Pork & seafood
🚫 No Nails -nail salon
🚫 No Fake- cheap jewelry
🚫 No processed foods
🚫 Unnecessary exposure to products and chemicals that could trigger another outbreak
And the list goes on.
If you know me, you know massage therapy wasn't just a job to me. It was something I loved. It was part of who I was. I loved helping people relax, heal, move better, and feel better in their own bodies.
So yes… this is emotional. This is hard. And honestly, it feels like grieving a piece of myself.
But I'm also trying to look at this differently. ❤️
I'm not giving up on life. I'm changing directions so I can have more life to live.
I am still chronically ill. That doesn't magically disappear. But if following these changes can help calm my body, give my system a break, and keep me from constantly living in painful flare-ups, then I owe it to myself to try.
And maybe this is where my next chapter begins. ✍️📖
I'm going to pour more of myself into writing my books, sharing my story, and continuing to build Beyond Survival into the safe, loving, judgment-free community I've always dreamed of having—and being a part of.
A place where people can show up as they are.
A place where new friendships don't cost anything but kindness, understanding, love, and a little bit of grace. 💕
I've spent so much of my life surviving.
Maybe now it's time to learn what it looks like to create a life that allows me to heal, grow, write, connect, and truly thrive.
This isn't the end of my story.
It's a major plot twist. 🖤✍️
And if you've been here with me through the hard parts, I hope you'll stick around for this next chapter too.
Because we're not just surviving anymore…
We're building something Beyond Survival. 💕
Dad ofc spoiled Mom on the way home with a treat.
