As a Nurse, I have worked in a variety of health care areas including maternity, post-partum, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, northern and rural emergency and acute medicine, as well in an integrative (holistic) health setting. I have helped people at their worst with the best medical science available in Intensive Care.

I have cared for people who have been chronically ill, navigating the healthcare system one flare up at a time. I have also coached people who have felt failed by the health care system, seeking alternative treatments out of desperation when the standardized treatment didn’t work for them. 

I have also been a patient, feeling neglected because of gaps in the health care system when my own health deteriorated quickly after my third baby and I couldn’t seem to find the answers. 

I am a mother of a child that got lost in the cracks of the medical system after miscommunication and disagreement between doctors, leaving me to fight for the help we needed. 

I am the wife of a husband who experienced a debilitating injury that required the pursuit of alternative treatment when the medical doctors offered very few tangible options. 

I am the daughter of someone who has been navigating the health care system for the long term due to the compounding effects of a chronic illness. 

As a nurse of many and as a patient, friend and family member supporting many others, I have drawn a common theme: “people perish for lack of knowledge”.

Many suffer long-term health effects, side effects or even neglect their health completely because they are not aware of how to manage their own health or navigate the healthcare system. 

I have made it my mission as a nurse to educate others on how to optimize their health and health care experiences, using means all within your control. These steps don’t require any extra budget, special equipment or fancy skills. These are simple actions you can take to advocate for your health through prevention and then management of illness, and it all starts with knowing the basics.