Was your faith rocked or ever questioned during these struggles that you're going through? While you're sticking a tube up your left nostril, down into your stomach in a matter of 10 seconds that you're very proud of, that you've reached that milestone, ever, and you just go, why, God? Why? Why?

Yeah, so I actually thought for a while that it was some kind of punishment for some of the things that I had done that led up to my diagnosis in terms of not having strong faith, in terms of having a really bad, weak mindset, you know, bad attitude, that type of thing, in terms of being a junk food addict and a glutton and just not taking very good care of myself.

And so this was a consequence of that type of lifestyle.

But what I learned a few years ago when I really started going down this route is I don't believe that God creates anybody to be sick for life.

What I believe he does instead, in my case and in so many others, is he's going to give you challenges and hardships in order to help develop and define you in some type of way.

And so in my case, and for a lot of people, that challenge takes the form of some type of health challenge, some type of diagnosis, some type of disease or illness that they have to figure their way out of.

And so I absolutely believe that there is a really strong faith and spiritual component to healing.

got?

So like, how did you get the research out? of what it would take to get better without the pharmaceuticals.

So when I was in the sixth grade, when I was first getting diagnosed and kind of getting plugged into all of these regular treatments, you know, on the steroids, on the feeding tube, one of my aunts gave me a book.

Her son had stomach problems.

He's several years older than me.

And it was called Patient Heal Thyself by Dr. Jordan Rubin.

And it's a really great read.

So, Ruben's story is he got Crohn's disease while he was in college so he was several years older than me I was 12 he was 19 or so, and already kind of on his own at college.

How did you perfect the method of fixing your issues?

I should try this totally opposite approach instead.

Right.

Yeah.

So for a long time, I was just kind of plugged into the Vanderbilt conventional treatment method and was doing biological drugs.

I mentioned I had a big surgery while I was in college and then it was back to biologic drugs.

Anytime symptoms came up, it was just more blood tests, more pills, more testing.

And I just wanted a way for that system to end so bad.

But would you say that is the primary like cause of these things?

Like, was there something that kind of started that? Or do you think this was a progression over a couple of years where you were like, I'm done doing it this way and I'm doing it a different way? What kind of helped you go that direction?

Yeah.

So it was something I always at times I always thought about doing eventually.

I mean, I remember being in high school and just going to doctor's appointments when I felt fine and just thinking this was so stupid to show up and just for the doctor to confirm that I felt good.

And then other times when I felt better, was having symptoms.

For it just to be the same thing, you know, let's have more blood work or take these pills.

Let's readjust your medicine or let's have an MRI.

But was there one thing that that really started your journey where you were like, I'm gonna pick this one thing, like it's going to be my faith, or it's going to be my nutrition or exercise, and I'm going to start there and then move forward? Or did you kind of go all in with all three to begin with?

So tell us about your journey with Crohn's and how you healed yourself these past few years.

Yes, ma'am.

I'll give you all just kind of a quick rundown.

So I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when I was 12 years old in the sixth grade.

I was four foot nine and fifty three pounds and in really, really bad shape.

And I got started on the conventional medical treatments right away, went through steroids, feeding tube.

then got onto biologic drugs, Remicade and Afzalon, and kind of went back and forth on those for a long, long time.

What steps did you take once you quit cold turkey and you were done with conventional medicine? Were there things that you knew immediately that you were going to try to take to heal what basically is termed an angry gut? Like what did you do?

So tell us about your journey with Crohn's and how you healed yourself these past few years.

Yes, ma'am.

I'll give you all just kind of a quick rundown.

So I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when I was 12 years old in the sixth grade.

I was four foot nine and 53 pounds and in really, really bad shape.

And I got started on the conventional medical treatments right away, went through steroids, feeding tube, then got onto biologic drugs, Remicade and Afsalon and kind of went back and forth on those for a long, long time.

While I was an undergrad at UT Martin, I had a major flare that led to a surgery.

What steps did you take once you quit cold turkey and you were done with conventional medicine? Were there things that you knew immediately that you were going to try to take to heal what basically is termed an angry gut? Like what what did you do?

What inspired you to write this book, Haley?

Yeah.

So I'll just kind of give you the quick background on this.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when I was 12 years old, and basically went all through school and college dealing with conventional medical treatments, everything from feeding to biologic drugs and surgery, and still being sick, still having symptoms, still being, quote, "sick for life," according to my doctors.

And so while I was in grad school at Troy, I kind of took a leap of faith, quit my doctors, quit my medicine, everything cold turkey, and went down the functional medicine alternative healing route and was able to heal myself naturally.

And that was this time two years ago in spring of '24 while I was at Troy.

And a few months after the fact, I was feeling so great, symptom-free, just couldn't believe how, how liberating that feeling was not needing the doctors, not needing the medicine.

Can you talk about that?