Character Backstory

My journey began about 20 years ago when I had a severe allergic reaction and ended up at an allergist who suggested I check out the Feingold Association and their program. The program was named after Dr. Benjamin Feingold who was a pediatric physician who discovered a correlation between the consumption of certain chemicals in commonly marketed children’s foods having the ability to induce physical, behavioral and mental manifestations in children (and adults).

Not long after that I knew I needed to step up and volunteer to investigate these food, drug and hygiene companies in an effort to discover hidden ingredients, not just for myself but others with children. I spent many years as a volunteer researcher for Feingold contacting food companies and not long after that was asked to step up and run for Director which allowed me to work closer with families and even volunteer to set up outreach events both in my hometown and abroad.

During that time due to a series of unfortunate events, I developed PTSD and not long after my diagnosis I discovered a form of therapy known as Horticulture Therapy. Due to our country having a system set up that doesn’t prioritize not only mental health, but natural alternatives to our current system, my insurance (as most) did not cover this specialized treatment.

Upon further investigation I concluded that it seemed to involve one-on-one therapy sessions, gardening and occasional group therapy as desired. I’m an introvert so I decided to forego group therapy (because blah), and at least begin the gardening part and within a week without the use of actual therapy I was able to see a decline in my flashbacks and vertigo. I did eventually do one on one with a therapist, but my curiosity was piqued by how the action of gardening affected the broken mind & body.

Now I’ve moved out of the city to live on 2.5 acres in the rural community of Putnam County and I’ve continued down my path of healing PTSD and other health issues while helping others investigate alternatives for better health management.

In addition to my foray in PTSD natural treatments, I’ve worked in permaculture, food forestry, animal husbandry, evangelistic outreach programs, natural pest control, soil restoration, native plant cultivation, herbal medicines, food preservation, living off-grid, unschooling children, first aid, property security, food research, food fermentation, event coordination and alternative health care.