Healthsponsors.org

Neal

I was a happy and healthy 27 year old when the COVID-19 pandemic started.  After a brief acute COVID infection, I continued exercising, cooking and connecting virtually with friends as the world remained on lockdown.  After several months, I began to notice an overwhelming feeling of flu-like fatigue after exercise.  As time went on, this same reaction would happen from sitting or standing for too long, driving, or even taking walks.  Despite seeing over 20 doctors, specialists, and alternative medicine providers, the only concrete information I was able to get was a formal POTS diagnosis and speculation about whether my other symptoms were a result of Long Covid or ME/CFS.

After essentially seeing every medical specialist and doing every test possible, I had not found any form of relief and was largely bedbound, only able to walk to the end of the block and back.  Walking was the only thing I had ever been able to influence throughout these 2+ years, at one point working up to walking almost a mile before side effects from a new treatment brought me back to square one.  So in early 2023, I decided to take a slower, more gradual approach to recovery that leveraged a mixture of the lessons I learned in the Primal Trust program and a lot of trial and error to build up my capacity over time.  By June 2023, I was finally able to walk a mile and over the remainder of the year, I started sitting up, driving, and even eating in restaurants.  

In the time since, I have continued to expand my capacity to do more – going on longer drives, getting more exercise, and even leaving home for a few days for a work trip.  In addition to my slow-and-steady approach, I’ve been exploring a variety of new and emerging treatments such as Epipharyngeal Abrasive Therapy, nicotine patches, craniosacral therapy, and more. While my journey isn’t over just yet, I’m feeling stronger and more confident than ever, which led me to start offering free mentoring to a handful of clients in 2024.  Health sponsorship truly benefits both the client and the sponsor, and I see this work not only as a way to give back, but also as a way to keep growing and evolving the knowledge I’ve gained throughout this long and often confusing experience.  My goal is to be the resource I wished I had in the early days of my illness and to inspire others to do the same.

To learn more about my story, check out my interview with Raelan Agle: https://youtu.be/HfSrsFBWQPo?si=Up8rM-dQsK6A8Wua

Chris

My name is Chris Jamieson, I’m from Melbourne Australia.  I had a 4-year recovery journey with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgicencephalomyelitis. After falling ill, I often struggled going on 5 minute walks and had crashes which would leave me couch-bound. 

Today, I’m in peak health as I  work 5 days a week as a schoolteacher, health coach , physically train hard at the gym or run long distances (I’ve ran 3 marathons post recovery), regularly travel overseas, socialise with friends and I’ve had no M.E/CFS related setbacks over the past 4-5 years.

I believe through my own recovery journey, with the many complexities of the illness, it’s best to work with a health coach who has previously experienced overcoming the illness.

One thing I remember when going through the illness was the abundance of information (both positive and negative about the illness) and how all this information can be quite confusing and be complicated.  Working with me I’m going to keep it simple and stick to the Four key pillars of M.E/CFS recovery/healing which involves: 

1. Focusing on your mindset through observing your thoughts using mindfulness, daily meditation, and daily journaling. Learning to reprogram your mindset by making peace and being kind to unwanted feelings; instead of fighting, feeding or engaging in unwanted feelings. Also understanding that while M.E/CFS is a physical illness; healing begins with calming down the nervous system.

2. Following a diet that works well for your Gut Health or Eating based on Ayurvedic principles for your body type.

3. Creating optimal conditions for sleep. To allow the body to rest, digest and repair overnight.

4. Restorative movement / Energy Baseline / Pacing

Looking forward to working with you.

Kristin

My journey started well before I got ill. When I was young, I learned that the harder I worked, the better grades I got, the more recognition I received and the better I felt about myself. It was like a drug that just fueled this desire for endless validation. Into my early 20’s, this approach made everything externally appear a life that was envied. I worked at a Big Four consultancy, lived in New York City and my income was fairly high relative to my peers’. My insecurities about not attending an Ivy League school like many of my fellow coworkers were squashed when I realized I could outwork them and therefore produce more.

That drive only intensified when I got involved in an unhealthy romantic relationship. I began to pull all-nighters, drink copious amounts of coffee and skip many meals at a time. During this time, I began to fall ill quite a lot but pushed along. Rather than slowing down, I wanted to work even harder, longer and to produce more to prove myself and my worth. Between the pressure I was placing on myself and the turmoil in my personal life, I fell into depression for the first time ever. I also started having insomnia.

I eventually left the job and New York City, hoping to get away from it all. It was a new chapter. Or was it? The problem was that I couldn’t get away from myself and the patterns that had driven me for so long. At my next job, I was pulling back-to-back all-nighters. For some reason, my work wasn’t as good as it used to be. The control I was so tightly trying to maintain was slipping away. I wasn’t able to think clearly. I was getting recurring infections of different sorts and didn’t take time off to get better. I eventually got let go from that job. How could it be that the type A, straight A student got let go from a job? I was determined that at my next job this wouldn’t happen.

I became a super human and volunteered for everything I could at the company while also continuing all-nighters. Not only did the recurring infections and insomnia continue, I started having carpal tunnel. I got frequent massages to attempt to manage the pain. On the weekends, I was so exhausted that I would sleep throughout the weekend. I had to take mini breaks at times during lunch to nap.

One day, I went into the office, and my hand wouldn’t work at all. I went to a neurologist and was put on FMLA leave for a couple of weeks. During that time, I slept a lot and got a number of tests… Inconclusive. The 2 weeks eventually became over 2 years. I lost many friends and my family didn’t understand. I was completely alone but I was going to fight.

During that time, my symptoms worsened with system-wide issues. The fatigue felt like the flu multiplied by 20. I was almost entirely bedridden. I was desperate for answers. I saw every relevant specialist I could and was diagnosed with active Epstein-Barr and Enterovirus infections, CFS and Fibromyalgia. 

Eventually, I attended the Mayo Clinic in my search for answers. I thought, “this is it -this place is going to make me better.” I looked around this prestigious center that I had luckily gotten into, and I realized it was filled with people three to four times my age – a thought that made me feel even more alone since I was only in my 20’s. I had countless number of tests there and the amount of bloodwork I had was enough to keep another human alive. I received many diagnoses that only resulted in entering me into their Pain Management Program. Day 3 came and I was too fatigued to be able to get out of bed, so I failed the program. I was a failure.

At the same time, my work was understandably asking me when I was returning. I was frantic. I wasn’t getting any better and I didn’t have the energy to navigate the medical system while also completing mountains of disability paperwork. Also, who was I without a job?

While I continued to pursue medical care as I was able, I decided I needed mental healthcare. I learned various components of CBT and DBT, and this was a good start to what evolved into the mind, body and spirit nurturing needed to heal. I met a spiritual coach who introduced me to Chakra meditation. After over a month of daily meditation, a series of coincidences began to occur. Also, people and resources were put into my path that I believe were guiding my life towards healing. Everything began opening up.

My health still lagged, but something beyond me was giving me hope. I delved into information first around nurturing spiritually in order to heal, but then also how mind, body and spirit nurturing allow for comprehensive healing. The coincidences, signs and symbols continued. I not only began to discover myself and my passions, but slowly, my body began to heal as I approached healing from all facets.

Over the years, I have accumulated extensive knowledge of mind, body and spirit techniques and became a certified Reiki Master. My learning hasn’t stopped there. I continue to pursue new techniques and approaches that can help me along my own healing journey and, in turn, allow me to help others along theirs.

Eventually, I returned to work on a part-time basis and many years later on a full-time basis. Today is now over 14 years after the Mayo Clinic and while I am not symptom-free, I have made leaps and bounds from where I was. Additionally, this journey gave me the opportunity to discover myself and, even more significantly, the opportunity to help you discover you and your healing path.