Trustworthy Magazine, Vol 3

Trustworthy Magazine

Transformation Coach Garrain Jones “Change your mindset, change your life.”

A Guide to South Australia’s Best Foods

Artist, Lady Ele Talks International Music January 2019

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Trustworthy Magazine www.trustworthymagazine.com

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Trustworthy Magazine

Our goal is to inspire & to be inspired. We know that everyone has a story; we want to know yours!

Founder & Editor Amina Touray

www.trustworthymagazine.com For comments, submissions & inquiries contact; Info@trustworthymagazine.com

Cover

Trustworthy Magazine

January 2019

www.trustworthymagazine.com

On the cover: Garrain Jones Photographer: Amina Touray Stylist: Faty Rodriguez Makeup Artist: Katelynn Jean Graphic Designer: Moses Dalton

@msgingersnappp

Just Go!

TRUST

Contents Rachel Currence Travel Life

Mateen Stewart Rising Comedy Star Super Women Lady Ele

Best foods of South Australia

Change your mindset, Change your Life Garrain Jones

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7 11 20

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Q&A With Fitness Expert Amy Minnick

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Who Am I? Why Me? Mia Lloyd Talks about Crohn’s disease

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“Our loved ones are the closest channels to our past. “

Letter From The Editor

Like many of you, I tend to reflect during the new year. I ask for what I want 2019 to give. January was a good start for me to go back to my hometown and where I grew up; Stockholm, Sweden. It’s very precious to be around family and friends that have witnessed my journey. They know every line on my face, every scar on my body, every expression I make and what every bit of laugh sound implies. Our loved ones are the closest channels to our past. They can give us the answers we’ve been searching for by reminding us of our past.

Transformation coach Garrain Jones (page 21) talks about his past and how he changed his mindset, in order to live the ultimate life that he always dreamed of. Staying healthy and eating well is part of the process. In our latest issue my dear friend Tina guides us through the best foods of South Australia (page 20), and we also get some workout tips from fitness expert Amy Minnick (page 37). I hope this issue will bring you both excitement and food for thought.

Amina Touray

Reach

For The Stars

Photo: Luiz Claudio

Rachel Currence

Photographer & writer Amina Touray Makeup by Neema Skye 1

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Life

Favorite destination and why ?

People ask me this all the time and it’s difficult to answer because you can’t compare apples to oranges! Each place has their own uniqueness or special quality in which I appreciate it for. I love the absolutely beautiful relaxing beaches of the Maldives. I love the lively and fun towns in - “I travel pretty often! About once a month.

Singapore. I love the respect and down to Lately, I’ve been traveling internationally earth ways in Thailand. I love Africa simabout every other month! I’ve had a lot of ply because it is the motherland. So, I can’t birthdays of those close to me out of the answer that so simply. I can just say I love country as well as some shoots. I am so the World! not complaining!” ctress & real estate investor Rachel Currence’s Insta stories are filled with good foods and exotic travel destinations. The jetsetter takes her followers around the world as she explores beaches, cities and eats delicious meals.

What type of traveler are you ? I am a How did traveling become a part of your very diverse traveler! I love all kinds of trips. lifestyle ?

Whether relaxing on the beach, sightseeTraveling became a part of my lifestyle, ing in a helicopter, jumping off of cliffs, or naturally. My mother kind of instilled the importance of seeing the World in me young. When I was 5, her and my father took me to Hawaii to celebrate my birthday and then Disneyworld in Orlando the following year. My mother is from Connecticut and my father is from North Carolina, so we would get back to see both sides of the family during the summers.

I remember after my mother and father separated and I was still a young girl, she wanted so badly to take me to Paris. She talked about it being a dream of hers. As soon as I turned 22 and was comfortably able to; I took my mom to Paris. Since then, I have flew my mother to multiple countries; our most recent trip being for her birthday in September in Bermuda.

“I travel pretty often!

About once a month.”

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swimming with dolphins/sharks; I do it all.

I’m an adventurous spirit who loves to explore and experience all that life has to offer. The only thing I won’t do is bungee jump or skydive; there, I draw the line!

How do you choose your travel destinations ? I choose my travel destinations a lot of the time through bucket lists (things I would like to see and/or do only that certain place has to offer) or word of mouth. Another way is the internet via Instagram, under the travel section, as well as searching on google things like; “best beaches”, “top places to see”, or things of that nature.

What do you always bring ?

I always bring my phone and passport!

Can’t live without the two!

Where are you going next ?

My life can be spontaneous, and things can pop up pretty last minute but at this time the next international trip is set for the Philippines in a magical place called Cebu. I’ve never been to the Philippines, but I’m so excited to visit as I love the culture and food. Specifically where I’ll be visiting. Cebu has one of the top rated beaches. I’m a big beach person and I love to swim. I’ve read it has some amazing coral reefs and marine life, so I can’t wait!

“I choose my travel destinations a lot of the time through bucket lists”

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D.R.E.A.M

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@Daaaaaarija

Smile

It’s Free Therapy

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S t S ta ew r ar t

me dy

n R e e t a M g n i s i

Photographer Amina Touray

Co

By Moses Dalton

Who is your favorite comedian of all time? Really think. Is it Meteen Stewart?

Or maybe it’s Kevin Hart? What about George Carlin, Jim Carrey, or Rodney Dangerfield? Maybe your favorite comedian is Patrice Oneal, or Dave Chappelle? With so many to choose from, I know its hard, but think! Who’s your favorite comedian of all time? Is it Redd Foxx? is it Eddie Griffin, is it Kathy Griffin? Is your favorite Katt Williams, Mike Epps, Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock? Maybe it’s Adam Sandler, or Robin Williams or Will Ferrell? Maybe it’s all of ‘em, maybe it’s none of ‘em. Regardless of which comic is your favorite, among all these illustrious comedians, the name that stand out the most is comic legend in the making Mateen Stewart.

Mateen Stewart’s name pops out form the rest of these comedy legends because you probably never heard of him; If you have congrats! That most likely means; you, like me, love fresh new comedy. You probably spend your weekends scouring comedy clubs, looking for fresh new stand up acts, and up-and-coming comedians to laugh and joke with. For us lovers of comedy, comedians bring us nostalgia; we go to the comedy club, we laugh, we drink and then we start to romanticize.

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Can you Imagine what it must have been like in the 90’s to see a young Jim carrey on In Living Color, or Martin lawrence on stage at the Def Jam comedy show. Just imagine how fun it must have been to be packed in a smoked filled Laugh Factory in the 70’s and see Robin Williams on stage, followed by Richard Pryor?

For a comedy lover Mateen Stewart is a fresh slice of nostalgia. His comedy is intelligent, pure, real, raw and relatable.

Mateen’s comedy comes from a place of artistic passion, and obsession. He is an astute craftsman of comedy, well versed in the science of laughter. His comedy is refind, his stage presence and delivery are tell-tell signs that he is a rising comedy star. Week after week comedy lovers like myself go out every night hunting for that new shit, that one comedy set that changed everything, for a chance to be apart of comedic history. We long for jokes that are for the people by the people. For us, up-and-coming comedians are the salt of the earth. They are everyday people, except they have a clear vision for their lives, and every week they go out into the world, grab a mic and take their shot at comedic greatness. Some of them are ass holes, some of them are not.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they embrace the spirit of comedy, a spirit that just might save our world.

“Mateen’s comedy comes from a place of artistic passion and obsession.

He is an astute craftsman of comedy, well versed in the science of laughter.”

@Mateenstewart

Comedians are heros. They bring the warmth of laughter to our all too often cold and sad world. They are the funny mirrors of our society, they reflect back to us what we are in the most bizarre and interesting way. They are visionaries, and are the comedy legends of the future. For those who don’t know Mateen Stewart he is a comedy superstar in the making.

So if you’re looking for a legendary laugh, come to a show. And if you hurry you’ll get to say you saw Mateen before he was a legend.

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@kellbell7147

Laugh

You’ll live Longer

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Its Better Together

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SUPer Woman Lady Ele

Photographer & writer Amina Touray Makeup by Irma Vasquez 11

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“I always knew that I had to get away, and I had to do different”

The Swedish-Tunisian, classically trained, NAACP award nominated singer & songwriter, brings us soulful rhythms with Caribbean influences and a twist of classical vibes through her beautiful, deep violin strokes. As we sit down with Lady Ele, she talks about a world lived between continents, and balancing family life, and self-care, with an uprising music career. Keep your eyes open, you will see more of her!

I want to go way back to the very beginning of your musical career and journey which started in Sweden. At the young age of 3 years, you already knew you wanted to become a singer and by 11 you played the violin, you wrote your own songs. You’ve shared stages with some big artists of Sweden. How would you say that your music has evolved through the years from your upbringing and your experience in the Swedish music scene, to the life that you’re living right now ?

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- It’s moved with me through the different geographical and musical climates.

Meaning: in Sweden perhaps it was a bit more “cold and naked” in the sense of; I played the violin. I would literally just play the violin and sing with it or over it. Or I would sing with just a pianist accompanying me. Then when I moved to Los Angeles I formed my own band and toured around California with a full band. And marrying a Jamaican husband and navigating those waters, brought me to the tropical and Caribbean island notes and musical sounds, more base and more tropical simply put. So I would definitely say that the music has evolved with me through the geographical and musical climate changes that I’ve done.

Growing up in Sweden to a Swedish mother, and Tunisian father, what was that diverse culture like ? - Well, I didn’t grow up with my father, so I can’t reclaim that he gave me anything. My mom was very good at infusing my life with various cultures, such as having introduced a lot of other music styles and types to me. She listened a lot to Turkish music which has a lot of citra which is a Turkish guitar, and

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she introduced me to an Egyptian singer called Umm Kultum, which is a legend in the Middle East. She also married a South American man. I remember very clearly one morning I woke up to the sounds of live harp, guitar and percussion in my living room, in this suburbian little area in Sweden called Bromsten Spanga. That’s how I woke up in the middle of the night because they had a band coming in from Paraguay, and on their way from the airport they stopped at our apartment. They played Paraguayan music in the living room in the middle of the night, and I woke up! It was just a heavenly experience. Ever since then I just love the harp! So I would say growing up with my mom was a very cultural experience because she never “just Swedish” anything, she stuck to non Swedish everything from music, to food and all kinds of things. So it was very diverse.

I’m curious, because you along with renowned artists such as Gloria Estefan, Natalie Cole (just to name a couple) were nominated for “Outstanding World Music Album” by the NAACP image award in 2014, which was also an event that you had admired and watched as a spectator in the past. Describe what a 20 something year old Lady Ele would have felt if she would have known that she would share that category and have that honor one day ?

- What I would have felt as a 20-year old if I knew I was going to be part of that ?

This is going to sound so cocky (laughs).

I probably wouldn’t have felt any difference because I always felt that I didn’t belong to where I was brought up. I never felt in the climate I grew up to...in the school that I went to, with the friends that I had living in the area. I never felt like we were on the same page. Not that I was better than them or anything narcissistic, just that I didn’t fit, I didn’t belong, I didn’t talk the same language. What I’m trying to say is; when I was in my 20’s and pretty much my whole life when I lived in Sweden, I felt like this; - ugh I can’t breath, ugh I don’t belong here, ugh this is not for me, ugh you don’t understand me, ugh 13

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they don’t see me, ugh they don’t appreciate me. I always felt like that. So I always knew that I wasn’t going to ever be seen, heard or appreciated or understood by them because I’m not one of them, so it’s okay! It’s kind of like you know, you just got to know who you are, and sometimes you have all the answers inside of you and that is what is drawing you or leading or steering you in a different direction in life. Therefor I would say when I was 20, if somebody would have told me - in 9 years you’re going to have this nomination next to all these big names, I would have said that - “well then this makes sense because I feel so stird to catapult the hell out of here!” (laughs).

So you just always had that within you.

Did you always know that you were going to live in Los Angeles with all of these talented artists, and work Stevie Wonder and Sleepy Brown. Was that something that you always knew or felt within you ? - I didn’t always know that I would live in Los Angeles, but I started visualizing it when I was 15, because one of my best friends moved here. Once she moved here I started to getting to know more about the city. After I visited her the first time at I think 18, I knew I wanted to live here. So I always knew that I had to get away, and I had to do different. It’s kind of like this; if you grow up the way I grew up, almost believing that they took the wrong baby at the hospital, then moving to a different city is not a big thing, because I almost felt like I didn’t belong to the family that I was born in because I didn’t look like them, I didn’t feel like I belonged to them. I almost felt like I was made from a different cloth.

Which in a sense I was because I had a different father than my brothers, but we all grew up with the same mom, in the same area, with the same kind of upbringing.

However, I just always felt the need, had the urge to live and experience more, and mine was music related, but also climate related, and just feeling a part of a community. And feeling like you’re a blessing to a community and not a burden. Even though I’m not so dark or that exotic looking, I just always felt very racially profiled

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as a kid. I always had to hear that I didn’t look like my mom and I didn’t look like my brothers. I was always asked if I was the nanny and people always thought that I had stolen things when I had paid for it.

I always felt this feeling that a lot of the minorities in this country experience on a daily basis, which is why I can relate so much to some of the racism that black people in this country experience because I tell people all the time in Sweden it’s not like it’s over here. Here you have the blacks, the Mexicans, the Jews, the Koreans, the Chinese. In Sweden you just have Swedes and everybody else. And if you belong to the “everybody else” category, it doesn’t matter if you’re black, Indian or Persian. You’re still not accepted because you’re not total bred Swede. So because I wasn’t a full bred Swede, I always felt that outlash feeling. So I always knew that I didn’t need to stay there and experience that bs, I could go to a place like here. People think I’m exotic because I’m Swedish and Tunisian. Instead of in Sweden they think it’s like dirty or something.

- It’s appreciated and interesting here.

People want to know more...

Yes exactly!

Right, and on a different topic. Describe your song “Keep it 100”. What is it about?

- I wrote that song because a lot of times I feel that women are ready to connect and commit, and give their all in a relationship to a man, but a man is not always willing and ready to commit to the woman. And a lot of times it’s because the man is not maybe happy in his own life or in his own financial situation or his own career choices. Whereas the woman is ready to create something together, the man feels like he needs to already be at his throne and then he’s going to find his queen.

Whereas the woman is more kind of like - I’m going to make you a king.

I’mma help you, I’mma help you do you, in the sense so that you can find that throne and be that king that you want to be. But I’m going to help you, we’re going to get there together. So in the song “Keep it 100” I’m essentially telling this guy that I’m dating in the song: “Tell me the truth, tell me

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straight up, what do you want, what are you afraid of, don’t you know who you are” and in the video I’m trying to gesture, and I also think I sing it - “Tell me what are you afraid of? don’t you know what you are made of? Every king needs a queen, we can build our dream better as a team”. So the song is about commitment and relationship, being there for each other and building each other, strengthening each other, but being honest about where you are. A lot of LA men (at least the ones I dated before I met my husband) are very like flaky. Like instead of saying -I’m going to call you tomorrow, we’re going to hang out Sunday. They’ll be like -“So we’ll be in touch”, or - “I’ll call you” or - “you’re going to hear from me” or like - “I’ll find you”. And that’s very vague, what does that mean ? - “I’ll find you” ? - In a week, or a year, in 10 years or does that mean you’re just going to contact me whenever you feel like it ?

It’s so vague, so that’s why I was like “Keep it 100”.

And talking about keeping it 100. How do you keep it a 100 to yourself, without getting distracted, when we live in a world that has constant opinions about how you should be and how you should live.

How do you keep it a 100 and stay committed to yourself in the sense of being a mother, wife, career woman, and stay true to yourself and without losing yourself ? - I would say I do everything I feel like with a clear conscious. Meaning I just try to do as much as I can that I enjoy doing for me without breaking any barriers or without hurting anybody else or without going too far. Because I think everybody needs to focus on themselves and love themselves in order to love others, and in order to be a good partner, or mother, father or friend. But you also have to take in consideration when you have kids or a partner that there are certain things you can’t do. So I try to do as much as I can that goes along with what makes me happy and who I am without going too far.

But then because I’m a mom it’s like we’re inbedded in thinking that we should have a guilty conscious if we’re not hanging out with our kids everyday. And the truth is we 15

shouldn’t hang out with our kids everyday because we need a break, like they need a break, so that you can appreciate each other and quality over quantity.

That makes a lot of sense! I’m down to my last question. I usually give each new year a title. Kind of like a title in book chapter which indicate what the year will bring and what the year will be about. So what would your “book chapter title” be for 2019 ? - “Time to shine”!

“I think everybody needs to focus on themselves and love themselves in order to love others”

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Dont Forget Old Friends.

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Australia Written by Tina Bergqvist

South Australia is a gem when it comes to fine dining and wine. You can enjoy tasty food from all around the world when you are visiting Adelaide, especially Asian food!

F o t o s ds e r B t s Of South Au

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Central Market Do not miss Central Market, 22-60 Gouger Street in Adelaide, where you can find fresh veggies, fruit, meat and cheese, as well as food courts and good restaurants.

If you don’t find anything you would like to try there, have a look at Gouger Street where you can find more Asian restaurants, such as; Japanese tapas, and food from other parts of the world as well.

International flavors in Adelaide For more Asian food, Sushi train is the best on sushi. Make sure to also try an egg wrap with tasty ingredients on Bing Boy in one of the food courts in the city. Many generations of Greek and Italian families have put European cuisine on the map, and Jamie Oliver’s Italian is located centrally in Adelaide city. For a Swedish touch, head over to Swedish Tarts, which is located in Semaphore and Henley Beach.

Stunned Mullet near Henley Beach makes the best fish n´chips. If you feel like something sweet, why not try the fine chocolate café Koko Black in Rundle Mall, or San Churros at Rundle Street or close to Central Market.

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Fine dining, wine & beer in Adelaide Hills Make sure you don’t miss out on Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley while in South Australia, as there are many outstanding vineyards where you can enjoy free tastings. Maggie Beer's Farm Shop and the restaurant The Eatery is a must! Maggie Beer is a famous chef, well-known for her amazing gourmet ice cream. Try the chocolate with salted caramel! It is deliciousness at its best, as well as the lunch from the restaurant. Maggie Beer is known from the TV shows ”Masterchef Australia” and ”The Cook and the Chef”. It is also possible to book a 4 hour course of cooking, which takes place in the same building as the restaurant. The restaurant is located just next to a hand made lake with turtles, surrounded by beautiful trees. The cute village town Hahndorf in Adelaide Hills serves tasty German food, mainly different kinds of sausage and cabbage – and beer of course.

On a budget ? No worries!

If you are on a budget but still want to put some golden shimmer over your trip to South Australia, make sure to visit allthedeals.com.au and choose Adelaide. If you are in luck, you might be able to find cheap offers on wine tours, cheap restaurant deals and cheaper tourist activities in the area. The food courts are also good for cheaper meals. Adelaide has something to offer anyone who likes good food, even on a tight budget.

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Photographer & writer Amina Touray Photographer Assistant Moses Dalton Stylist Faty Rodriguez Makeup by Katelynn Jean 21

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“Change your mindset, change your life” Garrain Jones W

orld renowned transformation coach, and author of the upcoming book; “Change your mindset, change your life” Garrain Jones, had to do everything he had ever learned, the opposite way, in order to change his self-destructive mindset. After living in his car with hundreds of thousands in debt, he finally had an awakening moment that changed everything.

Join us during our walk in the park as we talk about his mind-blowing evolution!

For anyone who does not know your story; Where are you from, where are you now, and where are you going?

- So that’s a loaded question...first of thank you for having me. I’m originally from Houston Texas, but if you really want to get technical I’m from my momma’s womb. I moved to Los Angeles in 2000, just lost, young and supple. I didn’t know what the hell I wanted to do with my life. I always wanted to be a superhero; stronger than average man, abs like an action figure and saving people’s lives all over the world. I went through a lot of crazy times. Seven years ago I was living in my

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car, over $200,000 in debt, and I tried to kill myself twice. I didn’t have a close relationship with nearly anyone in my family.

I reached the lowest point of my life and that’s when I just cried out for help. I didn’t even know who I was crying out to! During that moment of awakening I said - I want to be healthy, I want to be happy, I want to be surrounded by nothing but positive people. I just want to inspire people, and I want to make a bunch of money, but I want the money to represent something that I passionately believe in, that I would do for free. Just show me a sign! So what am I doing now ? - I’m healthy, I’m happy, I’m surrounded by nothing but positive people. I inspire people all over the world and earn income doing what I would do for free, that I passionately believe in. This is the life I asked for.

What did it take for you to get to that realization, when you finally had that moment when you realized that - this is what I want ? Was that the first time that you had really focused on that ?

- Yeah you know what, my whole life I’ve always focused on what I don’t want; - Oh I don’t want this kind of girl, I don’t want to be broke, I don’t want this, I don’t want that. Well, when you put a lot of energy on what you don’t want, when you take the word “don’t” out, you actually focus on the thing that you want. So when you say - “I

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don’t want this girl”, you’re going to keep attracting that girl because whatever you focus on grows. So it was the first time in my life that I focused on what I wanted and how I wanted to feel, so it was just one of those things; that you can’t change what you’re not aware of. So I wasn’t aware of what I was doing until now. I connect the dots looking backwards on my life but during that time it was either I die or I do something about it, and I was just doing the opposite of what I would normally do. I just started doing different things with the same circumstances and different results kept taking place.

How were you able to stay consistent with that ? When you have created bad habits or old habits it’s easy for them to pull you back. So how were you able to ignore them and keep going forward ?

- Well there’s never any ignoring. How can I put it…? you know as soon as I started making a change in my life, I instantly saw results. The biggest difference was the community that I chose to surround myself around. I wasn’t around people who were negative and gossiping and talking about people behind their backs, complaining about the news, the weather, the president, the traffic, all these different things. I was around people who want to change the world, who want to make a difference. People who are healthy, who were happy, who had goals for doing things. So I amplified my results by way of community and culture.

Following up on the community and culture. Tell me what you mean by you “surrounded yourself”. Did you go up to people and said “hello” ? Did they start accepting you out of nowhere ? Did you just start going to random places? Or what does that mean ?

- The second I chose to be healthy; in order to maintain being healthy you must be health conscious. When I became health-conscious; how I felt about myself and life changed. I started wanting to surround myself around other people who were practicing healthy, active lifestyles and being healthy. So I just surrounded myself. I was going to the gym, I was going 23

to yoga, I was going around where there were people who were thinking and doing things that were just like me, so that I can be motivated and have that accountability. So anywhere where you find health-conscious people. For me, they were speaking in a totally different language. When I wasn’t healthy, I was negative because I was around negative people and so that’s why those things kept happening, and they were helping me be accountable to all the negative things that kept circulating in my life Those connections you made with those people, do you go back to them for grounding and strength ?

- Absolutely!

You talk a lot about listening to your inner voice. How do you separate the inner voice from all the noise around, such as other thoughts?

- Well the thing about it is; you have over 55 thousand thoughts a day. Whichever one you focus on the most and give the most power and energy to, will show up as the physical equivalent in your life. So the outside is the physical manifestation on what’s going on inside the brain.

It wasn’t until I started doing what I loved as a child...when I started doing what I loved as a child, I radiated different and it woke me up in a way where I just felt a thousand times happier than I normally was when I was trying to live life for other people or what they thought I should do. I was actually living life for myself. And I briefly want to touch upon this, because this is what helped me to honor that little voice inside. If you can imagine a little kid coming up to you and tapping on your leg going - “Mom, mom, mom, dad, dad, dad”, and you’re ignoring that kid for 20-30 years, what do you think that relationship would be like ? Empty! It actually wouldn’t be a relationship because there would be no connection. So, if you’ve ever been in a place where you feel like I feel, like something is missing or all these crazy stuff is going on in my life. Well what you used to love as a child, whether it’d be playing in the rain, whether it be playing in the forest or picking up flowers or running,

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singing, dancing, art, whatever it was that you loved as a child, not what your mom or dad love for you, what you originally love; that’s connected to your inner child.

So everyday that you don’t honor the things that you used to love as a child, it takes you away and you’re not in alignment with your center most self because we were all born into love and joy, joy is our natural state. So as your inner child; if your inner child is not being honored, and your inner child is like your spiritual umbilical cord to source, source energy. And if that child is not being honored, well then what happens is, it does the same thing emotionally as if there was a physical child saying - “mom, mom, dad, dad” and you ignoring that child. So if you ignore the things that make you the most happiest, that is connected to your heart, then that means you’re not even connected! If you are not connected to the deepest part of your heart, that means you’re focused out.

If you’re focused away from your heart, there is no possible way for you to reach euphoria, freedom, stimulation, discovery, happiness, because all of that comes from your inner child. So the inner child is the one that’s giving you all the voices and everything like that. Of course there’s so many other different names for the inner voice. I just relate to it in that way. When I honor everything that was originally inside of me, the stuff; when I run, when I sing, everyday when I dance, it makes me the happiest. It’s not about the business but it makes me a thousand times happier and people don’t get to benefit from me before I benefit from me. So other people are experiencing my overflow of what I give to myself and the reason I’m able to separate it, is because; by me honoring my authentic self, there’s actually no separation, because I just honor my authentic self. So it’s either I’m trying to do this or I’m trying to do this. No actually, I’m just honoring my peace and my happiness. If it doesn’t serve then I don’t see it.

- Absolutely So what happens is, the more you do that, the less you have to ignore, because it’s not an issue of ignoring?

- Yes, it’s not an issue of ignore. It’s like, people get caught up in so many other things because they don’t have grounding within themselves. Build a house with no foundation and see how long that lasts. So you’re not in alignment with your authentic nature. A bird is a bird and an alligator is an alligator, but if a bird were to try to be an alligator, you can see how life will be difficult. So when you have all these people trying to be something that they’re not, when their divine nature is already there, everything that you’ve been looking for has been inside you all the time. When you honor what’s already inside of you, now; everything just disappears!

Would you say that the more you go on the outside, the further you go away from your source, the more it is impossible to stay consistent with your happiness ?

- Absolutely, because you would be trying to reflect your happiness off of someone else’s instead of your inner nature.

So what are some of the things you do for yourself everyday to continue to stay spiritual and grow?

- Before I go to bed I have this thing called the Panda Power Hour. I call it Panda because I love pandas, and they make me really happy! I make a list of all the things that I’m going to do for the next day. Then I wake up, I have my healthy shakes, my tablets, I do push-ups, I call and acknowledge people for something that they did. I do things that focus on brain power, spirit power heart power. So mind, body, spirit.

I put those on my list. My only goal is to build up momentum within myself. However, that starts at night, because before you go to bed the last 5 minutes, if you’re negative before you go to bed, that will literally preset the day, and you’ll be on the defense the entire day for the next day.

So I go to bed with momentum knowing what I’m going to do the very next day.

Let me get this clear; Your consistency Also, before I do that I look at a picture came from really honing in on this this of my daughter and I absolutely love Kypart of you that is the most truly you? lia so much! Then I look at the list, I look at 25

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“When I go to sleep, my mind goes to work!”

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the daughter, then I look at the list and I amplify the love so that what I feel about my daughter transmutes into what I feel about the list. When I do that, I picture all of those things on the list as if they were already done. Then I go to sleep.

When I go to sleep, my mind goes to work!

When I wake up I already know what I’m going to do because for six hours it’s already been working. The reason I call it the Power Hour is because I want to see how much I can get done within the first hour.

Most people wait until they go to their 9 to 5 job, the day before a deadline, and try to do in one day what they should have been doing little by little for an entire month. I start that every hour in the morning. So I got 30-40 things done within the first hour.

Imagine most people get four-five things done in a day and they’re using all this brain power. Me, I got 40 things done in a day. When they say - “how did you do all of that, that fast ?” I wasn’t focused on fast, I just did way more than you, and I was more efficient with my time. So after that first hour I have given so much to myself that I’m overflowing with energy. It’s a lot like starting a car, it takes a lot to start an engine of a car; it takes 10 times the velocity before it settles into momentum. Just like a car; I start my engine with 10 times the velocity and then I settle into the momentum of the day after I generate myself. After that, the kind of messages that I start attracting are amazing. These things start happening because I gave, gave, and gave. And throughout the days I begin receiving, receiving and receiving...

“It’s almost like the universe starts bending and shaping and curving massive to fit exactly the thoughts that I give the most power. “ Does it seem like a dream sometime when you’re awake?

- All of this is a waking dream...

I watched one of your interviews, where you said that the world is plastic. Could

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you develop what you meant when you said that ?

- Yes the universe is plastic. I’m a firm believer that you have the power to create your own reality. When I was living in my car, wanting to kill myself, I was extremely negative and every thought I ever had was extremely negative. It made sense why I was there. Then when I start reading the book called The Power of Positive Thinking, and I started applying the activities in the book; what happened was, I had different results and it seemed like all of them were positive for some reason and I was like - wait a second there’s something that’s going on. Every time I think this, this happens and if I have lackful thinking or if I’m insecure then all this weird negative stuff happens. So what if I have a positive mental attitude, and then what if I start thinking about this one thing over and over and over and over. It’s almost like the universe starts bending and shaping and curving massive to fit exactly the thoughts that I give the most power.

One example; I went to one of my favorite entertainer; the famous MMA fighter Conor McGregor. He’s known for manifesting things. He’s like our modern-day Muhammad Ali. He predicted all of the rounds in his fights. I wanted to meet him really bad, however he lives in Ireland. I went to one of his fights in New York, and I was sitting front row, and I tagged him in a post on Facebook and I said - Conor you know you’ve been a mentor of mine, and all these different things. And I said to him - “One of these days I’m going to meet you, I don’t know whether it’s going to be in an elevator or something, but I know there’s going to be three people around and I’m going to donate $1,000 to whatever charity of your choice and get a picture with you. I was going to tell you thank you for helping me to shift my perspective in life”. 18 days later I go to my life coach Monika Zands. As soon as I go there, which I didn’t want to go anywhere for Thanksgiving, I was just like - you know what, let me go ahead and go there. Her husband Jan said something about a different business of mine: He said - “Hey are

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you going to go to the leadership conference in Ireland”. I was like - wait where ??”. He goes…”Ireland”. As soon as he said Ireland, I knew I was about to meet Conor McGregor. And I said - “When would I have to get my ticket ? He said - “tonight”. And I took a leap of faith. I got my ticket and then there was three days in a leadership conference. I got there!

The only time I had to go, I literally went over to his MMA gym which is crazy! I was thinking - all these bloody fighters are going to fight me. I was thinking everything!

So I ended up going to the gym, and I only had 1 hour per day! So I went there thinking - he’s never going to be there, I don’t know when. So I went in there, I was like - “Listen my name is Garrain, I’m from the States, I just want to donate, meet Conor and let him know how much he’s supported me into transforming my life...” and everything, and I was brought to the back office and introduced to his coach John Kavanagh.

And Kavanagh speaks to me for an hour.

He was like - “No one knows when Conor is going to come in. You can try back tomorrow”. But he took the time to listen to my story. Then I got a picture with him. Next day I came, he wasn’t there. The next day I woke up; I said - he’s not going to be there, I’m not going to go. - “Change your mindset, change your life”; And I remember! I said - “you know what Imma just going to call a uber”, and a 16 wheeler passes, and it says Kavanaugh on it!

“My greatest gift is knowing that I support and facilitate people to discover their own light” In that moment I knew! When it said Kavanaugh, his coach’s name is John Kavanagh! I ran outside. I was like; you know what Imma just go! 5 minutes into the ride, he was like - “Are you Mr Smith?”. I’m like - no. He’s like - “oh I have the wrong person, but you’re already on the trip so you know they’ll call them another Uber”.

I went, and I was like - everything feels 31

weird. I opened up the gym. The last two days it’s been packed out. There’s nobody in the gym. There was one guy there, one guy there, and the third guy was in the very back and it was Conor McGregor!

He walks around and he comes up. I said - “Conor my name is Garrain Jones, I’m from The States...”. And I ended up talking to him. He took 5 minutes to listen to my story. We took the photo, I posted it online and everybody was like - “yo the way you manifest is out of this world!“. But I spoke it into existence. I focused on it and I created that. That universe bent to fit what I was focused on!

You’re a transformation coach. How does it feel, or what does it do for you when you witness someone in front of you, who’s life you’ve helped transform ?

- Well I don’t use the word “help”. Help is from a lacking mindset. I support people to discovering their own power. Because when you help, you’re aiding in somebody’s weakness. My greatest gift is knowing that I support and facilitate people to discover their own light. That’s my greatest reward because I know what it did for me. If I’m looking at you, and at the lady there, and all these other people as a reflection of myself, I know that deep down inside is pure potential power and I’ve been given the ability to reach inside, get you to see what you have, and then kind of nudge you in a way where you discover it for yourself. Because when you do self discovery it’s very different than when somebody’s helping you.

I get to be the example, and inside of the example if somebody can say - “me too”, that gives me the greatest reward to know that my way of being and the way that I live my life inspires people to want to make conscious decisions, and not just be unconscious and do just because.

Lastly, we talked about your trip to South Africa earlier. Could you share the story you told, and tell me about the life changing experience that you had there ?

- It’s like the greatest epiphany I have ever had! It’s when I went to South Africa. I was

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“All of a sudden I look to my right, and I see a mama elephant that is literally like 30 feet away from me, flapping her ears, and she’s almost doing the same thing that the rhinocerose’s doing. “

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at a safaree. The rules were; you know the animals don’t see in colors, they see shapes and you know they also sense the energy, so always focus on gratitude, and I wasn’t listening to ranger Ross. Then we went on a bush walk; yes that is walking in the wild, we were about two miles away from the lodge and I was so afraid man, I don’t care how strong you think you are, when you’re in the wild the animals will crush. Crickets sounded like dinosaurs to me! So the instructions were to stay in line with the group, and I was like, - “what does that mean ?” He said, - “well the animal see in shapes so whatever shape they’re normally used to seeing doesn’t pose as a threat and if you step outside and change the shape of the group, you put all of us in danger”. I didn’t listen to those who came before me that knew the route. It’s kind of like playing Zelda, every 3 rounds you meet the owl and the owl is trying to give you advice and you press start and you don’t listen to the owl. So I didn’t listen to him. Then I found myself ten feet away from the group and then he said - “Garrain where are you, and where we ? ”. I was ten feet away, there was a rhinoceros like two football fields away and I didn’t think anything of it. I was like yeah but nothing’s going to happen, and then the ranger Ross says - “if a gust of wind blows, then the animals will…” And he didn’t even finish his sentence and a huge gust of wind blows; and then the rhinoceros stops! He turns around, looks directly at me, and start stomping his feet. We’re all frozen! So we’re two miles away from the lodge, my heart is beating out of my chest, he says - “Garrain lower your head, focus on gratitude, and get back in line with the group”.

I do that, and all of a sudden I look to my right, and I see a mama elephant that is literally like 30 feet away from me, flapping her ears, and she’s almost doing the same thing that the rhinocerose’s doing.

I look up, and I see that I was right in line with where her babies were.

So I’m like - don’t change the shape of the group, oh my God why did I not listen?!

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ing grateful for everything. Then I get back in line with the group. As soon as I get back in line with the group, ten seconds later the rhinoceros and the the elephant just walks away. That gave me the greatest epiphany because the animals forced me to think about death. Then when you are fearing death, when death is upon you, you start having flashbacks. I had a flashback to every single moment where I almost had a near-death experience, and weird things; car crashes, fights, breaking windows, all kind of things. And those experiences always happened when something wasn’t in alignment with my truest nature: Mind, Body, Spirit. And in that moment with those animals, I realized that every time something was flowing in my life was when I had my head down, focused on gratitude, and in line with the people that came before me. Having days where it seem like everything was going good, where my mind, my body, my health, my soul, my heart, and my spirit was intact, everything was in alignment. That moment helped me to realize and gave me an example of the fact that when I’m out of alignment; I put my life at risk and in danger, and when I get back in alignment ,it allows the flow to happen.

That’s amazing! What a great story.

Thank you so much for doing this. Thank you for coming and for giving us your time for inspiring us. We really appreciate it!

- Thank you, I acknowledge you guys for creating a platform for stories like mine because for a long time I never said anything. I would have gone to my grave with all of this inside. But because there are people like you that want to get these stories out, that want to have a reach to inspire people all over the world and it’s those real gut-wrenching, authentic, raw stories that reach because it become a light in the world of darkness. And all people need to say is “me too”, because they simply need an example.

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Photographer Amina Touray Makeup by Niehla O

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January 2019

Firesnake Fitness Q&A With Amy Minnick

Amy Minnick is no stranger to physical exercise. However, after college, she was plagued by unhealthy eating habits, minimal exercise and decreased motivation.

She suffered from high blood pressure, severe acne and a 30-pound weight gain. Uncomfortable in her own body, Minnick decided it was time to squash the self-pity and do something! Minnick started taking fitness classes that came to change her life. With the help of enthusiastic fitness instructors she started noticing positive changes in her body. She eventually became a certified fitness instructor. She spent years perfecting her craft and helping others achieve and exceed their health and fitness goals. Minnick is the owner of FireSnake Fitness. Her company develops effective, pre-choreographed group fitness classes and provides second-to-none instructor training. Each class is choreographed to fun, energetic music and delivers ultimate results. Minnick is actively collaborating with gyms and fitness studios nationwide to get her FireSnake Fitness program offered in their establishments.

Q: Describe your work out sessions?

A: My fitness class is a 55-minute totalbody-blast that combines strength-training, plyometrics and high intensity interval training. The only equipment required are 2 sets of dumbbells and a mat. Dumbbells are used for toning and muscle sculpting and the cardio bursts are guaranteed to fire-up your metabolism. The classes are suitable for all fitness levels and modifica-

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tions are offered for most exercises. You would have to take three different classes to experience what’s delivered in one 55-minute class. Who has time to take three classes in one day—no one! Also, each class is choreographed to popular, rockin’ music! If you’re ready to improve your endurance and build a strong, lean, sculpted physique, I have the answer!

Q: What are some good exercises you can do if you don’t have a gym membership?

A: That’s a great question because you certainly don’t need a gym membership to exercise. I recommend strength-training exercises such as squats, lunges, pushups and sit-ups or planks. These exercises work the major muscle groups as well as the core muscles. Jumping jacks, running or brisk walking will increase your heart-rate and metabolism. YouTube has great videos for beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels.

Q: Can you recommend a good way to get started and build a lasting fitness routine ?

A: The first step is to set small, attainable goals. Oftentimes, people start too fast and do too much in a short timeframe. This quickly leads to fatigue, sore muscles and disinterest. Find something you like and commit to it for a couple months. From there, begin to add new things to your exercise toolbox. The more variety you can incorporate, the better your chances of sticking to it. You’ll learn to love moving

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and exercising and fitness will become a natural part of your life! Be patient with yourself—there’s no elevator to success, you must take the stairs.

Q: What is the best way to find out which exercise program to choose for yourself?

A: The best way is to try different things; keep what works for you, discard what doesn’t! Also, don’t be influenced by prevalent fitness myths such as ‘lifting weights will make me bulky’; ‘yoga is for vegans’ or ‘all I need is cardio to lose weight’. Rely on your own experiences not myths.

Q: What are some fast and good ways to get rid of belly fat and double chins?

influenced by things such as weather, fatigue, laziness, hunger and so on. Because of that, I don’t solely rely on motivation. It’s discipline, not motivation, that pushes me to exercise when I don’t feel like doing so.

While motivation is important, it is discipline and commitment that will drive you to success. On those tough days, when exercise doesn’t sound appealing, I ask myself “how will you feel if you don’t exercise today?” and “how will you feel if you do exercise today?” Almost 100% of the time, it’s the answer to the latter question that pushes me.

To learn more about Amy Minnick, and the classes she offers at 24 Hour Fitness and Chuze Fitness in San Diego, visit her website: www.FireSnakeFitness.com

A: Hahahaha! If I could provide a fast solution that didn’t require cosmetic surgery, Or email her at firesnakefitness@gmail.

I’d be a billionaire! The solution to these com nuisances starts in the kitchen. A healthy diet is 80% of the equation (the other 20% Instagram: @amyminnickfitness is consistent exercise). We’ve got to eliminate the fried and processed foods that cause weight-gain/bloating and replace them with healthy, whole-food alternatives. But take baby steps! Don’t throw away your entire pantry today! Fast food was my weakness. I’d eat at Burger King, Del Taco or Jack-in-the-Box at least 3 times per week. I’d rarely eat fresh fruit and vegetables. My diet was a disaster and my body was the proof. I was always tired; my face was covered in blemishes and my blood pressure was far too high.

I began to read health magazines and learned about healthy alternatives. Acquiring this knowledge and consistently applying it has transformed my well-being and my body. As I always say, “if you take care of the inside, the outside will show it.” I still cheat sometimes though!

Q: How do you motivate yourself on a cold, rainy day, when you feel like staying inside or not get out of bed? Or does that ever happen to you?

A: Oh yes, that certainly happens to me!

Motivation is a fickle characteristic that is 39

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Photo: Anugrah Lohiya 41

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“The bad news is time flies.

The good news is you are the pilot.�

Michael Althsuler

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Who am I? Why me?

Written by Mia Lloyd

But wait…I am NOT Jewish?! That was my silly, uneducated response to my doctor when she gave me what sounded like a death sentence. She uttered the words, “Regional Enteritis.” After giving her my “say what now” look, she paused and said, “We think you have Crohn’s Disease.” Staring at her, I replied, “Crohn’s Disease? But wait…I’m not Jewish!” Now why and how, did I equate being Jewish with Crohn’s Disease? Because after seeing a commercial regarding the disease, I thought my mom might have it. She seemed to have all the signs. I immediately became “Dr. Lloyd,” (does countless hours on Web MD count?) and did my research.

I found out that IBD or inflammatory bowel disease, appears to affect certain ethnic groups more than others. Then it went on to show, how American Jews of European descent are four to five times more likely to develop IBD than the general population! Wow! Well, we can all look at me and tell that I am not Jewish…don’t need to take a test for that. Maybe somewhere in my blood line…you never know. I am grateful that my mother didn’t have Crohn’s Disease – she suffers so much already! But guess what? A year after seeing the commercial, I have it. Oye vey.

“What I did know, was that it was now time to get some real answers” With that being said, I had so many questions running back and forth through my

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head! I needed answers! “‘Am I going to die?” “What is Crohn’s Disease and how did I get it?” Did I have to put the kibosh on my favorite, “two all beef patties-special sauce-lettuce-cheese-pickles-onionson-a-sesame seed bun” and eat tofu?”

And please tell me that this “chronic-diarrhea-severe-abdominal-pain-fever-loss of appetite-weight loss” would not stay with me for the rest of my life. How did I, a relatively healthy, early forty-something year old, African-American Realtor, get this extremely painful disease? Didn’t we already determine that I wasn’t Jewish? After being extremely ill for four days, I decided to play doctor via the internet.

Realizing that I hadn’t eaten anything - I lost eight pounds in four days. I couldn’t keep anything down or in (you know what I mean)…and the pain; Worse pain I have ever felt in my life! So who wanted to eat?!

What I did know, was that it was now time to get some real answers. Needing no prompting from my husband, I called my family physician. From that day forward, it was on! She knew I was sick, when she walked in the examining room. There I was lying on her table, in a ball, crying my eyes out and wearing no make-up; which is unheard of for me. Plus, my husband was with me in the room! Having been my doctor for over a decade, she knew I was truly sick! After an x-ray in her office, she sent me directly to the hospital for one additional test. Before we left the hospital, Doctor L., called me and said, “Sweetie… your intestines are pissed at you! I need to see you tomorrow morning!” That was a bad sign to me. I was scared. Why did

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she need to see me? The next morning, she told me words that I will never forget.

She said, “I have never had a Radiologists say to me, ‘Karen…your patient has Crohn’s Disease.”

For the next three weeks, I endured numerous, embarrassing, horrible testing. “Go home and bring us back your stool sample tomorrow.” Again, that ‘say what now’ look came across my face. Tell me…just where am I supposed to keep this stool sample until tomorrow? Next was my very first colonoscopy – I feared I was going to die.

“Calm down”, said Bill, my supportive husband, “nobody dies from a colonoscopy.”

What a relief! Then I thought… I would love to believe you dear, but you have been wrong in the past…would really hate for him to be wrong about this one! Two days later, back to the hospital for a small bowel follow thru Exam. Unless you had this exam, you probably wouldn’t know what it was. I sure didn’t. One thing I did know, I wasn’t properly briefed on how to prepare the test! All I knew was that I had to drink this thick, frothy, nasty, chalky barium (it was no Frosty, that’s for sure) stuff. What my Gastroenterologist office neglected to tell me…was that I had to walk up and down the hospital floor! I wore three-inch heels that day – because no one told me not to!! I didn’t own a single pair of flats! I would have worn sneakers, had I known!!

The procedure can take anywhere from forty-five minutes to four hours, depending on how fast the barium reached your small bowel! Good grief! Needless to say, I worked that long hospital corridor like it was a run way! Ms. Jay and Tyra would have been so proud of me! However, I quickly remembered, fifteen minutes into my sprint that this wasn’t America’s Next Top Model; and I am not a model on anyone’s runway. I was a patient getting tested for a strange disease. I was sick.

Very. That’s why I was there in the first place. And to make matters worse, my feet hurt! Looking around as I passed my fellow test-taking-walkers, I see they had on sneakers!! I am sure glad their doctor’s prepared them.

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I had spent so much time and money on test and medication during those 3 weeks, I think they need to erect a wing at the hospital in my name! I am sure glad I had insurance!! But when it comes to your health, you can’t put a price on it.

The strangest test that I had to take, was swallowing a pill with a camera. First you swallowed the “placebo.” If that got stuck, they it was instant surgery for you! Oh goody! If you passed it, then you could then proceed with the real thing. Thank God I passed it! They needed proof that I passed it. Come on people! That’s just gross! Anyway, you then walk around with a fanny pack, that has some kind of apparatus inside, which connected to the camera. The camera takes about five thousand pictures of your intestines. I forgot to mention, I had to wear this apparatus for eight hours. Yes - eight hours!

However, I finally received the results: Yep! Crohn’s Disease.

“I

quickly remembered, fifteen minutes into my sprint that this wasn’t America’s Next Top Model; and I am not a model on anyone’s runway. I was a patient getting tested for a strange disease.”

Because unless you either have Crohn’s Disease or know someone who has the disease, most people have never heard of it: Crohn’s disease, also known as ileitis or regional enteritis, is a chronic illness. In Crohn’s, the intestine, bowel, or other part of the digestive tract becomes inflamed and ulcerated -- marked with sores. Along with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease is part of a group of diseases known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

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Crohn’s disease usually affects the lower part of the small intestine, which is called the ileum, and the beginning of the colon. The disease, though, can occur in any part of the gastrointestinal system. Thus, the disorder may affect the large or small intestine, the stomach, the esophagus, or even the mouth. Crohn’s can occur at any age. It is most commonly diagnosed in people who are between the ages of 15 and 30.

The symptoms of Crohn’s disease depend on where in the bowel the disease occurs. They also depend on its severity.

Symptoms can include: *Abdominal pain and tenderness (often on the lower right side of the abdomen) *chronic diarrhea *delayed development and stunted growth (in children) *feeling of a mass or fullness in the lower right abdomen *fever *rectal bleeding *weight loss

“When it comes to your health, you can’t put a price on it. “

This all happened in May of 2009. I will never forget that day. Sure, I have had to change my eating habits (good-bye cheesecake and a few other vices) and develop a healthier way of eating. I even exercise now more than I ever have. When dealing with a chronic disease, most people tend to suffer from depression. As for me, I try to keep a smile on my face, positive attitude! So with the help of my family and close friends, but especially my God, I know I have endured my battle with Crohn’s Disease. It is a daily struggle. But I will prevail! And no…I am not Jewish.

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