Health and fitness have been a big part of my life from a very young age. The biggest influence on this aspect of my life has been my dad. A natural athlete his entire life, he lives to be outdoors. From freediving and spearfishing off the cliffs of Jamaica as a boy, to being an avid cyclist for many years, he is definitely the reason why I am the athlete I am today. I remember being 8 or 9 years old and my mom worrying about us girls because my dad would take us out on 8 hr+ bike rides! A favorite memory of mine is being at the aquatic center with my sister and my dad and learning how to hold our breath underwater. We would hang off my dad's neck, while he swam the length of the pool and back, under water the entire time! We would compete for who could hold their breath the longest. We were always competing! 

I started ballet at the age of 3 and danced competitively until age 14. That’s when my love for basketball took over. I played provincial level basketball in highschool. I loved playing group sports and played all the way through elementary school into college. Although my mom was not personally involved in sports herself, she was definitely my biggest cheerleader. She attended every game, track meet and tournament she was able to! Being competitive was and still is a part of who I am! My dad helped prepare me to become the athlete I am and my mom constantly pushed us to be the best. She taught us discipline and motivated me to work harder every single day! Training and fitness is not just about physical ability, it’s equally about mindset. I am fortunate to have had this foundation shape me into the woman I am today.

When I was 20 years old I was in my first major accident - a car accident. Somehow, I did not break one bone in my body but I did tear a large amount of soft tissue in my back. I was unable to walk for weeks. This was the start of my struggle with chronic pain for the next 7 years. At this time I was in my first year of Nursing school and the pain was so severe I couldn't carry a backpack or books. Just getting up every morning was a struggle. I was dependent on painkillers to get me through the day. At the time, no one took my pain seriously because I looked normal and could walk. So I just learned to live with being in pain every day. My tolerance to pain meds increased month after month, year after year. Throughout my 20's I had a series of unfortunate events all revolving around spinal cord injuries and concussions (Grades 1 to 3). I had a major fall snowboarding. The whiplash and concussion were so bad I did not even realize I had two broken ribs! I've had slip and falls walking, fallen down stairs numerous times, and in a freak accident I was even dropped on my head from 9 feet in the air (that one was bad - out for months). I think it’s safe to say I may have inherited the accident prone gene! 

During my final year of University I learned all about patient advocacy and that is when I decided for myself, enough is enough! This motivated me to advocate for myself and to seek the help I needed. I was sick of suffering in pain and relying on drugs to get me by. After almost a year of waiting I finally got in to see a chronic pain specialist and was accepted into their pain program.

My life changed dramatically from there -- I was able to get on proper medication to wean me off painkillers and I was referred to rehab specialists for athletes where I learned so much about what I needed to do to re-strengthen my back and core. This is one of the main reasons why I am such a huge advocate for building a team of professionals around you for support. From Physio and Chiro to a great RMT. Through all of this pain and recovery came a great appreciation for the fact that I can still walk and move my body! I've had many many months to lay in bed and reflect on how lucky I am to have all of my senses and mobility. Living through multiple years of chronic pain taught me to never give up, to keep fighting and pushing to rebuild and restrengthen my body!