MEET ZOE

My story starts from the day I was born. Yep, that's right! Day one. 

Also fun fact, I was born with only one kidney, and that's truly where my story began. After I was born I had urinary reflux into my only working kidney and as a precaution, given IV antibiotics. From this point forward, I'm going to say that all hell broke loose. 

I was a seriously unhappy baby - covered in eczema head-t0-toe and facing multiple food intolerances. I was essentially on a diet of white rice and white pasta, and supplementing with a specialised baby formula. During my early years and working alongside a paediatrician, I slowly began introducing new foods to my diet, but still with many restrictions.

Childhood was a different experience than most kids would ever know. Sore tummies, itchy skin, severe anxiety, and chronic fatigue.

But boy oh boy, adolescence came swinging in hot and amplified things x10! As a teenager, my health issues became more complex with a vicious cycle of severe fatigue and debilitating menstrual cycles. I remember coming home from school, sleeping until dinner time (or sleeping through). I would wake late at night still in my school uniform, shower, and back to bed. I struggled to wake up everyday and was late for school almost everyday. 

My entire life I was swept under the rug in the Western medical system. I was told it would self-resolve and that I would grow out of it. I was offered the contraceptive pill time and time again like a bag of lollies. No one could give answers. No one could tell us WHY this was happening to me. Until we found holistic healthcare and naturopathy.

I started seeing a naturopath at around age 15 and my entire life changed. I finally found someone that sat and listened to my story and said 'you are not crazy and we can help.'  This was the start of my wellbeing journey. At age 17, I was diagnosed with Endometriosis and had laparoscopic surgery to remove the endometrial-like tissue. This definitely helped reduce my symptoms, but I was far from well. There was still a lot of behind the scenes work to be done, and this took years. I was also shockingly uncompliant with my herbs & supps as a teenager, so that probably contributed to the extended timeframe, oops!

I knew after my first visit with my naturopath that this was my calling. I wanted to help others like she had helped me. I wanted everyone to know that there is always an answer, and to not stop fighting for your own health. The journey of health is ongoing, and it's not linear. But as long as you keep fighting, that's all that matters!