For as long as I can remember I have struggled with being overweight. Wanting desperately to become one of the “skinny girls,” I tried every diet imaginable, but nothing ever worked for me. I was always active. I played basketball, soccer, and was a track and field athlete throughout middle and high school. I remember feeling immensely jealous of my friends because they could eat whatever they wanted without gaining a pound. Just the smell of food however, would make me gain weight. When I thought I had maxed out my body’s ability to store fat, I learned I was mistaken. In January 2006, I attended college half-way across the country and came to feel homesick and depressed.  Ten months of finding comfort in daily fast food meals packed 100 pounds onto my frame and when I moved back home in October of that year, I had reached an astounding 300 pounds. I felt disgusted with myself, attempted portion control and a variety of fad diets. I was treading water and began to take anti-depressants. I also found that regardless of how many hours I slept, I always felt tired. I remember falling asleep on the road a number of times, waking up just before crashing into another car or driving off the road. I’m entirely grateful that I didn’t hurt myself or anyone else. My family physician tested me for sleep apnea, absent seizures, and narcolepsy but found no answers. He prescribed Ritalin and vitamin B12 but neither helped me stay awake. Talking on the phone and incessant snacking were all I could do to keep from dozing off, neither a particularly productive remedy. One morning in July 2011, I awoke to find that the entire left side of my body had gone numb. Hardheaded as I am, I convinced myself that it resulted from sleeping poorly and went to work. I remember constantly tripping over my left foot and reminding myself to lift that leg with each step. My boss quickly came to see my disability and sent me right to the emergency room. A CT scan and an MRI informed me that this was likely either an inoperable brain tumor or the start of multiple sclerosis (MS). I was prescribed Provigil to stay awake on the road and Trazadone to help me sleep at night, and sent back home. I spend the next twelve weeks scared to no end, fearing that a brain tumor would soon end my life. I received a second opinion in October of 2011 where a diagnosis of MS was confirmed. I felt conflicted, relieved that a brain tumor wouldn’t kill me but fearful that I would spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, relying on others to care for me. My doctor started me on the MS injection Copaxone, but it didn’t seem to help. The 6-month follow-up MRI showed more lesions and I experienced chronic pain and migraines. My doctor switched my MS medication to beta interferon but additional MRIs revealed lesion progression. May 2014 marked the beginning of a new life. I met a man who informed me that plant-based diet has been shown to work wonders for MS patients. My knee-jerk reaction was to reject such a diet as I loved meat, cheese, and ice cream far too much. I was referred to an audiobook “Eat to Live” and was told that it would explain a plant-based diet. While not particularly excited to listen to a dry audiobook, I listened to it during a long drive to Maine for a family vacation.  On August 19, 2014 I jumped in with both feet. Within six weeks of eating a plant-based diet, I lost 22 pounds! I felt proud and excited; so excited that I deserved a treat. So after work, I dropped by Arby’s, my favorite fast food chain, and ordered my old favorites: a roast beef and cheddar sandwich, curly fries, and a large Mountain Dew. One bite of the sandwich and one sip of the soda was all it took. It tasted AWFUL, and into the trash it went. That wretched Arby’s meal crystalized just how much tastier, healthier, and more satisfying a plant-based meal felt. I’ve since followed the plan without wavering. My MS had seemed to respond well to the plant-based diet too! I was able to discontinue all prescription medications other than beta interferon, but I eventually weaned myself off of that as well. Despite being told by my neurologist that I would be blind and in a wheelchair within five years if I didn’t take prescription MS medication. My last dose was injected in September of 2015. I feared however, that all of the medications I had taken had left my body in a toxic state and wanted to rid myself of their residues. I hoped a water-fast might help and found a place to do so safely. On January 2, 2017 I arrived at TrueNorth Health Center intending to complete a two- or three-week therapeutic water-only fast. I wanted to cleanse my body of the medications I had taken and with the hopes of stalling my MS progression. Two weeks into my fast, surprised at how good I felt, I decided to extend my fast even longer. I completed 38 days in total and felt FANTASTIC! My time at TrueNorth changed my outlook entirely and gave me tremendous strength.  October 1, 2022 will mark seven years since I was told I would be blind and in a wheelchair due to not taking MS medications. I am overly ECSTATIC to report that my yearly MRI’s have been GREAT! I have no new lesions, my old optic neuritis scars have disappeared, I am STRONGER and LIVELIER than ever and I am still MEDICATION FREE! I never thought I could achieve something so monumental, but I have now almost halved my body weight, from my heaviest at 300 pounds down to 167 pounds. I feel better than ever and can’t convey how proud I am! I will always be grateful for being shown the road to wellness back in 2014.