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Since the age of 6, I've wanted to be a nurse, wife, and mother. In that order. I am the oldest of three sisters, born and raised in Texas. I married my best friend, David, in 1981, who I met in the hospital where I was working as a nurse on medical/surgical unit in Texas in 1980. He was a patient. Haha We moved to upstate NY after marriage. We have lived in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania then to North Carolina where we raised our children and still live here today. We have four children (youngest was adopted from foster care and passed away two years ago) and 11 grandchildren. We have been married 44 years. I've been certified as an aromatherapist in the past and taught aerobic classes.  I'm retired now so I have more time to research medical reports, read, listen, watch lectures, videos, and read books. I've read "Why We Get Sick" in print and listened on Audible. I've always loved exercising. I walk now and use weights at home. That's about all I do in my spare time, when I'm not taking (or playing with) care of grandchildren or helping my sister take care of my 87 y/o mother who has many complications from diabetes 2. She doesn't listen to anyone except her doctors who just give her more insulin injections and spend seven minutes with her at appointments. I've tried to explain the low-carb keto diet, but sadly she wants to eat what she wants to eat. I never worked full time, only part-time so I could be home more with our children. I had to retire early in 2009 (or it could be called firing me) because the hospital I worked in for 16 years (in excellent standing) told all employees it was mandatory to take the flu vaccine and the H1N1 shot. I refused to take them. Sadly many of us had to leave a job we loved. Sound familiar? The hospital corporate office said we couldn't work at any other facility they owned "ever". I worked some in private duty nursing, retirement home, and home health until my husband had his Whipple surgery. It took him a year to recover. Although I've only been slightly overweight, I had symptoms of insulin resistance for many years and didn't know it. My hair thinned out greatly, no hair on my toes or legs, skin tags, thyroid problems, sex hormones unbalanced, osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety. I craved carbs, especially m & ms. We ate whatever we wanted. I thought I had to eat low fat, chicken mostly, salads, veggies, fruits, to stay thin. I didn't eat meat or fish. (I do now at 67). We loved ice cream and cereal in our family. We lived on cereal. I would work eight hours at the hospital non stop without eating. Come home at midnight, eat a bowl of yummy cereal with low-fat milk or almond milk and go to bed. Get up early the next morning, teach our children school lessons, eat lunch, then go to work at 3 PM to 11 PM. We ate dinner as a family on evenings when I didn't work. We usually had meat, veggies, bread, and dessert. That has all changed totally for my husband and me. We learned the truth.

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