by Dane Johnson
Adversity
comes to us in many forms throughout our lives. In most cases, we have no
choice but to learn how to deal with life's battles, even if it feels as if they
are literally killing us. However - pain, loss, sorrow and all the feelings we
hope never to feel are what allow love, joy, and happiness to be real. Without
pain how could we know what love is? How could we identify it? Would you be
willing to give up the feeling of love so that you would never have to feel
pain? Life wouldn’t be much to live in that case. Depending on how you
choose to look at adversity, even the hardest of times can be a blessing in
disguise.
I’ve had the
pleasure of dealing with such an adversity at a young age in my life. I was
diagnosed with Crohns Disease/Ulcerative Colitis at the age of 23.. right about the time my
modeling and acting career was taking off. I started having symptoms in my
teenage years, but it was not diagnosed until later on. For those of you who are
unaware of what Crohns Disease is, it’s an auto-immune disease which effects a
persons digestive tract. It can be so destructive that in extreme cases it can
lead to death. Seven months ago, after being in remission for 2 years, I had the
worst episode I’ve had in the past 5 years. This one nearly took my life and
left me bed ridden at 128 lbs from my naturally lean weight of 170 lbs. So
drugged up and delusional, I was barely coherent. I spent my birthday and Thanksgiving in that hospital. I spent Christmas at home with my mother and sister Melanie. They helped me wean off of pain killers, sleeping pills, antivirals,
steroids and antibiotics, while rubbing my legs which were to weak to be of any use
to me. My body was so stressed I was unable to watch Disney movies because the
minimal conflicts in the movies caused me pain. At that point, I remember death
being less scary than the idea of living in this pain forever.
Since
then, I’ve gained 40 lbs of lean body weight and continued my career in holistic nutrition, modeling and acting. Holistic therapies
have been the number one reason for my recovery, and I attribute much of my
success to the power of the human body, love, and the nurturing ways mother
earth has to offer us. When I encounter someone who has similar issues in their
life or has someone close to them with similar issues, they are usually looking
for a “secret formula” to recovery. I’m here to say there is no secret formula
except to become a student of the human body, mind, and soul & apply the
knowledge you learn to your own life. You will find the rewards are abundant in
every facet you could possibly imagine.
I consider myself lucky to deal with such a thing early in life. Most of us don’t face any real health issues until later on. When I think about “what’s good” about this tremendously testing and painful experience, I feel proud. I feel like a warrior who has an inner light so bright my energy and love brings great value to those around me. I know shame. I know discipline. I know faith. I know loss. I know pain. I know what it takes to succeed and I carry that with me everywhere. I carry that into an interview, to a date, to my loved ones, and to my choice to eat the Dorrito or not eat the Dorrito!!
I consider myself lucky to deal with such a thing early in life. Most of us don’t face any real health issues until later on. When I think about “what’s good” about this tremendously testing and painful experience, I feel proud. I feel like a warrior who has an inner light so bright my energy and love brings great value to those around me. I know shame. I know discipline. I know faith. I know loss. I know pain. I know what it takes to succeed and I carry that with me everywhere. I carry that into an interview, to a date, to my loved ones, and to my choice to eat the Dorrito or not eat the Dorrito!!
My teacher
and naturopath doctor likes to say that the greatest energy always prevails and I
agree with him wholeheartedly. No matter the issue in life, come at it
with discipline, an open mind and open heart, willing to fail but also willing to
love. I believe one of those doors you peak through will have an amazing gift
which will feel much like Christmas morning. I must warn you if you are going
to take on a giant, you are most likely to get squashed as I did…many….many….many times. The most important part of changing your
reality is the ability to learn from your failure and try again. It’s also one
of the hardest. But if you can, once the light is yours, you will forever be a
changed person with a new understanding and appreciation for what life is in
all its glory. You will be a warrior and your own kind of Michael Jordan in
your own right.
For those of
you who struggle with your health and are looking for answers I do suggest a
few things to give the life energy within you the utmost strength to recover.
One of them is clean organic food and supplements. I also recommend you get a
delayed food allergy test from a reputable company immediately. Even a food
which seems very nutritious can be very toxic in the wrong body. I personally
found things containing lectins hurt me (grains, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant).
I can have them in small doses but only if cooked correctly and if the grains are repeatedly germinated to lower the lectins count (gluten-free as well). I
rarely consume any diary, alcohol, caffeine, refined sugars, gluten and legumes.
I find them all disturbing to my system. To live like this does an INCREDIBLE service to my life. Imagine what you would look like, feel
like…How connected you would be to “you” if you discovered which foods serve your best health and which foods don't. Self empowerment is the great
gift God gives us and I intend to learn how to use it to its maximum. I’d
also like to point out the healthier I get the more my body can handle a
variety of foods and stresses. So for those of you who are dreading this idea, I
have found that once you are in a healthy state, you are able to have these
things on occasion.
As an avid
fitness enthusiast, it’s been a huge struggle to find supplements that can help
support my lifestyle without causing reactions. I was blessed to meet a nice
young women by the name of Errin Smith at the National Association of Nutrition
Professionals (NANP) 2 years ago who introduced me to NANOS I was reluctant
to even give it a try as I had tried every supplement I could find at every
health food store, and all of them seemed to hurt more than help. However, she
seemed to know her stuff.. and after looking closer at the ingredients and
treatments used to create their products, I became more intrigued. Vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, no added sugar, a formula to increase digestive capabilities
called SuperSorb and most impressively I could actually read and interpret
every single ingredient! Now if it’s possible to ingest a natural and clean
supplement, these guys have surely got the closest that I’ve seen!
Once I gave
it a try, I noticed my body did very well at absorbing their Vegan protein, fishoil, and omega 3. I use them independently of food as I do not mix liquid with
food to increase digestion. I’ve been using these products for 2 years now, and
they have been a great asset in the difficult task of adding muscle back onto a
body, which has extreme issues absorbing food. Six months later, I’m still not
fully healed and I assume it will be at least another six months to find my strength,
energy, and digestive system fully recovered. But as long as I’m going up, you’ll
catch nothing but smiles on my face =D.
When I
become impatient or frustrated at my progression in any of my ambitions, I
remember the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. Success is found when things
are done correctly, even if the process is slower. When I start to lose faith, I remind
myself that those who say they can’t and those who say they can; are usually
right. When I’m overwhelmed I drop everything and celebrate the whole
purpose of all this- Life.
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