Zoe Martin – NYC
Anonymous – 35
I am a 35-year old woman who developed a rare auto-immune disorder known as PLEVA 16 years ago at the age of 19. It took 3 years to get a correct diagnosis, and to this day, very little is known about the disorder – but, in short, it manifests in the form of painful and unsightly red lesions all over my arms, legs, hands, feet, and torso.
I was told by my doctors that there were only two possible treatment options. First, they attempted to suppress my (over-active) immune system by prescribing heavy doses of antibiotics, which had absolutely no effect on my symptoms. The second treatment option was simply to get a sun tan, which does, in fact, alleviate the symptoms of an outbreak. However, with a family history of aggressive skin cancers (including melanoma), I chose not to continue tanning and so had resigned myself to living with PLEVA many years ago.
Then I met Vanessa Fitzgerald, quite by chance, but I strongly believe you meet the people you need to meet when the time is right. At that time, I was experiencing unexplained infertility and suspected that my auto-immune disorder, left completely unchecked, could be a contributing factor. I was also interested in working with someone on a holistic approach to my overall wellness before going down the rabbit hole of fertility treatments.
Vanessa worked with me on removing irritants from both my diet and lifestyle, which allowed my digestive system to heal. In addition, she carefully curated a personalized program of whole food supplements to provide my body and mind with additional support. After about 3 months of working with Vanessa, my PLEVA had cleared up, and I have now gone another 2 months without a single outbreak. I also very recently conceived for the first time. I am so grateful for everything Vanessa taught me. She honestly changed my life, and I’ve never felt better.