Healing Through Obedience

I grew up with many health issues that began when I was very young, but I wasn’t diagnosed with the main condition until I was 15 years old. Leading up to that, I continued to get sicker and sicker. Eventually, I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which affected every system in my body.

The doctors warned me about many possible complications. Some of those included the possibility of ending up in a wheelchair within a year and having difficulty having children. At one point, my body was reacting to so many foods that I was limited to eating only about six foods for nearly a year. It was a very restrictive and challenging time.

There were many things the medical system said I would face or might never be able to do. There were seasons when I was extremely sick and unable to do much, but God used that time to change my heart and draw me closer to Him. Even in something as difficult as eating only six foods, He used it to teach me how to read labels and cook, since my family didn’t know how to prepare meals within such restrictions.

Over time, I came to a place where I didn’t know if God would ever heal me, but I was content with whatever He chose. I decided that even if I was never healed, I would still praise Him. Through that process, God did a deep work in my heart.

As I’ve reflected on what God used those health issues to do in my life, I’ve come to see that He used them to parent me in ways my own parents could not. He used them to give me compassion for others who are hurting on the inside while appearing fine on the outside. He used them to mature and train me—teaching me how to cook, how to care for my body properly, and how to take responsibility for my health.

He also used that season to prepare me for real life. After my diagnosis, I stopped playing sports and began working, learning how to balance school and work at a young age. He used it to teach me about natural health and to shape my understanding of how to live well.

Most importantly, He used it to help me find my identity in Him alone—not in what I did, who my friends were, or what others thought of me. Many people my age didn’t understand what I was going through, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It grew me, strengthened me, and prepared me in ways I couldn’t have understood at the time.

Now I can look back with gratitude and see that our Heavenly Father truly knows what each of His children needs. I am so thankful that He used those health issues to shape and guide me in this way.

As I continued to walk in obedience and surrender my life to Him, He healed me. Today, I have two little girls and have experienced overall very smooth pregnancies. What once felt like a burden became the very thing that drove me to seek God desperately, to cry out to Him, and to fully surrender my life.

Now, I am healed and able to eat freely, with none of the health problems I was once diagnosed with.

Edited 03/2026