Category: Uncategorized

  • Being Rare Makes Me Special

    Have you ever heard of Achalasia?

    Me neither until I was diagnosed with it after years of misdiagnosis with acid reflux and GERD.  In 2023, I was officially diagnosed. 

    I have mostly been silent in my battle, except for family and a few others, BUT no more! I even lived in denial that this is my new normal. But not anymore. I am facing this head-on, and I choose to raise awareness of this rare disease in case someone else is suffering in silence.

    Here is the scientific explanation:

    “Achalasia is a rare, incurable, and progressive autoimmune esophageal motility disease with only palliative treatment. Achalasia sufferers have damage to the nerves of the esophagus which makes swallowing and the passing of food and liquid into the stomach extremely difficult. Approximately 1 in 100,000  are diagnosed annually. Within the diagnosis of Achalasia, there are three types, l, ll, and lll, which compounds its complexity. To add to the frustration of this disease, most doctors will never see a case of it in their entire careers. Thus, it is most often misdiagnosed, causing years of pain and struggle. There is a desperate need for research and awareness to bring this disease to the public and, in turn, to medical personnel so that those with Achalasia can procure timely diagnosis and treatment.”

    Here is the explanation from someone who deals with this rare incurable disease:

    Eating and even drinking water becomes a challenge on a daily basis. If you do eat, you always know where the nearest bathroom is so that you can vomit when needed. You start carrying a bag just in case you don’t make it. Eating out is such a social event for most people, but for someone with Achalasia, you dread food. Because God forbid you vomit at your table or on the street (yes, I’ve done that before). You feel as though you will choke to death because food won’t go up or down. Sometimes, you’re unable to breathe. You teach yourself breathing techniques to make it through.  Eating, in general, is almost pointless and becomes a challenge, especially in public settings. You fear people may think because you’re running to the bathroom multiple times. They must have a bladder issue or an eating disorder, BUT in fact, your body has the disorder, and you can’t control it.

    I have been on a health journey for years; I recently picked it back up, thinking this would help.  Yes, I’ve lost a significant amount of weight so far, but this rare Achalasia disease is a challenge to eat even healthy food. There are a few options to try to alleviate this daily challenge. I have chosen to have surgery shortly to help provide some relief, BUT there is NO cure, and it’s a 50/50 chance of working.  Having to face that is taxing on your emotions and what this does to your body.

    Again, I only share this because after finding a support group and realizing that I am not alone in this battle, I want others to be aware that this is a very real struggle for others.  If you notice someone while you’re eating out or at an event, do NOT judge them or push food or drinks on them. If you’re a server in a restaurant and someone asks for something to be adjusted in their order, even if it’s ordering water with no ice, rather than being irritated, do it. If you’re hosting an event, and your guest isn’t eating, it may not have anything to do with you. They may be struggling to take a bite.  You have no idea what that person is struggling with at that moment. I promise they are not being rude. 

    The bottom line is to be kind because you do not know someone else’s struggle.

    #achalasiaawareness #aao #raredisease #achalasiawarrior

  • Inhale, Exhale, Restart…

    This picture is of a simple bunch of daffodils in a simple glass of water. BUT for me it’s so much more! Maybe as I share this story someone else may need a simple reminder like I did that it’s all going to be okay.  Let me back up and share some details leading up to this moment and why I’ve been MIA in posting lately.

    Do you have a focus word for each year?  I have for over 20 years and it always has a scripture to support  that word.  But when 2020 ended and 2021 began I didn’t even look for a word after such a hellish year.  However, after a few days into 2021 it all just started pointing in one direction when signs and confirmations began  to emerge and become clearer.

    My word of the year: RESTART

    Meaning: A new start or beginning

    Scripture to back it up:  Isaiah 43:19 “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

    This year mine is definitely RESTART which simply means, to start over; a new beginning.  I have come to understand that it’s ok to simply RESTART as often as you need in whatever area of your life you need. So this year we did just that and are RESTARTING in a major way.

    During the last 12 years of living in Texas my husband and I have watched our adult kids all migrated back to Michigan over the last few years building their own lives. We felt tugs on our heart strings to being closer to them.  We started to prepare for a shift in our lives not knowing exact details, but then 2020 hit presenting itself as a major challenge to only see them a couple of times during the pandemic causing doubts in our minds. But also gave us the confirmation push that we needed to make some changes. In the midst of what seemed darkness and uncertainty emerged a glimmer of hope with all the unanswered questions, we had we looked at our life scripture is Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Thus began the challenging process of preparing to RESTART our lives.  As parents you’ll do anything for your children when they say, “actions speak louder than words” that statement has turned into reality for us taking on a whole new level of meaning, because we have learned that the saying, “distance makes the heart grow fonder” is NOT true.  We tell our kids and grandbabies “LOVE you more than Texas” mostly being silly, but if you really know us then you know our love of being Texans is bigger than Texas yet loving them is beyond immeasurable.  As much as we LOVE living in Texas and being Texans (which we always will be at heart), our LOVE for our kids and grandkids is greater (well, who are we kidding our grandchildren;) ) We did just that as the plans for our lives have lined up for us as we are leaning not on our own understanding and “pulled up the tent stakes” drove 1400 miles and made the transition to move across country to be closer to them.   Although it was bittersweet to leave Texas,  “LOVE you more than Texas” has a whole new meaning as we look forward to special memories and new adventures!

    However, the move has been a bit challenging to say the least. Our movers are a nightmare story, I got a terribly sick with a sinus infection, searching, finding and starting a new job and the list goes on and on…BUT as I said, we came here with a greater purpose as we willingly and purposefully set out to RESTART just to be closer to our children and grandchildren. We have discovered that even in the craziest moments of this move it has been wonderful being so close to them all. Whether it is for spending time for a simple walk to the ice cream shop or dinner at our house or having our oldest grandson for a whole day of Gigi and Papa time it was a wonderful day filled with exactly what our restart is all about making moments count.

    What does that have to do with daffodils? Well let me share that this moment will stick out in my memory as complete confirmation that this was the right restart move.  Being closer to our kids we decided on a random week night that we wanted to drive to see our  grandsons. As we pulled up to the house we saw our grandson running outside bare foot in the rain with a huge sly grin on his face. He was clearly up to something.  When we came in he had this bouquet of daffodils in hand and in his silly shy voice said, “these are for you Gigi”.  Such a simple gesture from a 4 year old will forever have a great impact on my heart. As I proudly took them home, all I had to put them in was the plastic glass in this picture, because my vases either were broken by the movers or haven’t arrived yet.
    When I was preparing this post I looked up the meaning of a daffodil and this is what it said; “The daffodil symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings. It became associated with new beginnings (and the coming of spring) because it is one of the first perennials to bloom after the winter frost.”

    So you see that simple glass of daffodils picked by my grandson has more meaning than his sweet little act of kindness ever could understand.  It was a reminder that I need to inhale, exhale and restart as often as needed because life is measured in moments that make your heart smile.

    I encourage you to take that first step in whatever area that you need to RESTART as often as needed it’ll be worth it the end!

  • Welcome to The Rhoades for Wellness

    “The dream leads you to a vision you never would have known without that first attempt to dream beyond what was.” – Unknown

    “Let your dreams evolve and inspire you.  Failure only happens when you keep it a dream.” – Unknown

    Do you have a dream/vision that hasn’t quite played out the way you thought it might?  In fact, you may feel like you have failed or question if the dream is even really there in the first place.  Well, in keeping it real with you this is the story of my life. 

    When I read those two quotes, I understood that sometimes, on the way to a dream, we find a better one as it evolves and unfolds.  I have always had a vision or dream involving encouraging others to find their potential.  Like a tree that takes its roots deep and continues to blossom with flowers every spring, so too can your dreams.  However, through a series of what I call “failed attempts” to ‘make the dream come true’ of what I thought it was supposed to be or for it to look a certain way, I got frustrated instead of letting it evolve as who I have evolved. In those failures, I realized that the root of the dream had never died. Instead, it keeps returning with the same core dream/vision, and while it would be so easy to walk away from every failed attempt with hands up in the air and saying, “Forget this,” there is something that won’t allow it to die completely.  In fact, when I look at the ashes of the failed attempts, I can see it’s not really a failure but a pattern at the core of the dream/vision that has always remained the same.  Sometimes, I tried to place puzzle pieces in the wrong places instead of being patient and letting them evolve. But as I grow on this journey, I realize that sometimes each failure is the stepping stone to the following steps, and what we thought was just rubble and ash of a dream, if we look close enough, new growth emerges.  Let your dream/vision evolve as you evolve on this journey of life.  With that, I am excited to watch my next steps unfold and evolve and incorporate all those ‘failed attempts’ into my journey with the launch of The Rhoades for Wellness.  But in the meantime, if you are in a similar place in your journey, learning to accept both the failures and successes of your dream/vision, let me leave you how I started this post with quotes of encouragement to NEVER let go of the dream inside your soul.

    “You don’t have to see the first staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

    “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis