I was raised on a farm with 3 sisters and a companion dog who all built forts with me. Some were outside in the field, and some were in the basement with tea and baby dolls. Our home city was in a fascinating blend of recovery and collapse from the outsourcing of industrial manufacturing, and my dad worked hard as a small business owner to support us. My mom and dad supported our small Catholic school as I craved to learn as much as possible, and I may have also participated in a few arguments along the way.
We moved to a ‘better’ school system. The recklessness of immature high school students (me included) lead to plenty of disciplinary action. With the much-needed support of disciplinary action, college credit classes, classroom debates, and competitive high school sports (Swimming and Track), I was able to survive.
During my time at in college, a tumor in my left temporal lobe started to cause some problems. A few doctors who love to play the fun game of guess and prescribe enhanced the challenges. Along the way a few of my childhood health issues including post-chicken pox varicella arthritis, extreme food and environmental allergies, a few broken bones, and about 50 stitches were recollected. Anyway, my 19-year-old self started to get concerned when I wasn’t able to maintain my 3.9 GPA.
Long story short: More random medication trials enhanced the problem. I stopped taking the medication. The problem was accurately identified by a great neurologist from the far lands of Chicago.
I was back on track to continue my dedicated studying, water polo playing, and chemistry research. I also became very interested in the drug manufacturing process, and I was an active participant in the research behind it during my Eli Lilly internship experience. This eventually lead to acceptance into a nationally ranked chemistry research program. During my time there I loved the college community, sand volleyball, freely provided education, and even the organic synthesis research. Most importantly, I loved the healthcare plan which allowed the best doctors in the nation to remove my brain tumor which was a borderline cancer issue.
When part of the brain is removed, it is time to stop and think about some things. Before and after the surgery, I decided to pursue psychology. Yes, I know this is unexpected. I was teaching chemistry for Ball State, and I found that I could take classes for free. Most importantly, I had a little soul searching to do. Once part of the brain is removed, some self-discovery is necessary.
Researching the psychology side of things was exactly what I needed. I was able to re-find myself and help others along the way. My rational chemistry and biochemistry knowledge was pleasantly greeted with my new psychological processing skills. These synchronized nicely with my physical health priorities of exercise and healthy eating, and I felt this was nicely capped by my spiritual practices of meditation and prayer. It was like all the pieces had come together.
The story continues with finding Lorean, marrying my soul mate, and having our first child very near to our nine-month anniversary 🙂 She has graciously accepted my need to continue to optimize my health, debate random things with her on a daily basis, and build this website.