An Online Herbal Health Learning Community

I wasn’t the kind of kid who stayed sick. I had a few hiccups here and there, but other than that, I enjoyed all the wonders nature had to offer. Even to this very moment, my love and appreciation for the outdoors only continues to grow.

 

However, in late 2017, for the third time in 7 years, my body began to abnormally release massive amounts of blood through the body’s process of waste elimination. This was the third time in seven years. Each time I went to the doctor, I was assured that this was simply my body's unique ability to discharge old cells and regenerate fresh cells. Typically this would last a few weeks, but this time it continued for months. 

 

By Christmas of 2018, I had three DVT (deep vein thrombosis or thrombophlebitis). Due to the obstruction of blood flow and the amount of blood my body was discharging, I lost consciousness twice.

 

Then what I dreaded, happened. In Spring 2018, as I began my normal morning, I began to feel unusual pain. Determined to complete the five-mile jog I pushed myself another mile until sharp pains had me slumped over a fence laboring to breathe. At this point, I knew something was wrong and I would have to coach myself back to safety. 

 

I made it back to my bedroom and threw myself in bed, exhausted. I awoke a few hours later feeling unwell and short of breath but went to work a shift. The next day, I worked another ten hours and almost passed out walking from the building to my car. So I decided to brave the COVID-19 scare to the ER to get checked out.

 

 

 

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Now because I work in the medical field I know when you are rushed to a bed without being properly checked in that you’re in a pretty bad state. Medical personnel are everywhere, doing everything, while talking to me about what happened. 

 

Fast forward: I was admitted to the hospital. What they initially thought was pneumonia in both lungs turned out to be blood clots in both lungs. The pain that I felt came from a clot that had obstructed the flow of blood to my lungs. Apparently, it had been obstructed for some time because the pulmonologist said one of my lungs had started to calcify due to the lack of blood. After being in the hospital for 10 days I was released home for a minimum of 7 days contingent on my check-up. 

 

Imagine going from being a hyperactive human working 80 hours a week between two full-time jobs, taking 15-mile hikes, being in nature on days off, doing water sports, and more to now being confined to four walls because you can barely make it from the bed to the bathroom without becoming short of breath. Each day my mental health was challenged. Each moment I felt trapped on an emotional nightmare of a rollercoaster. With every movement, I enter into a physical fight with myself. 

 

I remember sitting in the recliner contemplating if my life was over. I remember moments when I thought suicide was my best option. I remember crying for hours asking God to give me a way to escape.

 

 

 

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I don’t have scientific data or research to support my story. The only thing I can tell you is that since I started touching outside again through gardening I breathe better, I feel better, I have more energy and my outlook on life is stunningly bright. When we take the time to understand what seeds have to endure to regenerate and produce a harvest, we can lay hold of unshakeable wisdom that all things we experience can be used by God for our good. Without the rough patches of life or drought seasons our ability to appreciate wide open spaces, beautiful paths, and find the beauty in all the things that fade.

 

I keep gardening for my health, wealth, and mental well-being but I share gardening to spread this deep wisdom. I challenge you to dig deep to find the power to produce a greater you!