Pull up a chair version:
Life Sustainers is a holistic health nutrition store located in the Haudenosaunee territory of the Six Nations of the Grand River, aka ~ Ohsweken. This became a dream of mine as my path took me on a career change when I embarked on my own holistic health journey.
My life's journey has not been picture perfect. I have actually had many bumps, turns, valleys, mountains to climb and have veered off the beaten path many times.
Career wise, I started out in Social Work, so you see, I have always had a passion to help others, and in so doing, helped myself along the way to opening a natural health and nutrition store.
When my own personal life journey endured hardships, I fell into a funk about myself and so begun my ravenous unhealthy eating. Round and round I went, the more I ate, the more funk feelings I had about myself. I became comfortably numb in junk food, yet still uncomfortable in life, feeling a failure in so many ways, having not yet found holistic healing. It was not until I became immensely uncomfortable in the heaviness and the achiness of my body, that I new I needed to make a change. I doubted myself, my abilities, and even if I could make a change, I had such a love affair with food, I wondered how I could end this food frenzy affair. FAST FORWARD
My passion for more knowledge about holistically healing also intersected a time when my mother's health was declining. Other family members were also struggling with other issues that I thought could be better managed with holistic alternatives and a better nutritional status.
After caring for my mother a year in her own home, with many sleepless nights, my own health was becoming more of an issue. I was chronically tired, had Pneumonia a couple of times. I also had an old knee injury that was requiring attention. My partner had ended our relationship and this had a tremendous impact on me emotionally and spiritually.
Though I tried to take these life events all in stride, it was still stressful. I was exhausted yet still needed to function as a sole support parent and also as a daughter of aging parents while continuing a new career path. My father, though pretty active also has health challenges - Diabetes, Osteoarthritis and Chronic Pain.
In trying to address my health concerns, whilst I had enrolled in the Holistic Nutrition program, an earlier diagnosis of Fatty Liver resurfaced for me.
I was told that I had fatty deposits on my liver 15 years prior and that I should reduce my fat intake and watch my weight (mainstream medical advice). That is when I started my gluten and sugar-reduction journey. Yes that many years ago, so I was only about 40 years old and already had some liver enzyme elevation and the fat deposits on my liver. I can't really say that I made the change right away but eventually I lost 40lbs. I did manage to keep it off, but my weight still fluctuated within a few pounds. Prior to that, I was on a slow, but increasingly steady weight gain. I was very uncomfortable in the heaviness of my body. I believe that if I didn’t make a change then, I would have easily been carrying an extra 100 pounds or more by now, plus having seriously compromised health.
The early changes made likely did help my health status, but a confirmed diagnosis with an Ultrasound and MRI said I still had fatty liver. Other symptoms, sparked my family doctor at the time to request further tests for the same disease my mother had, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis. Fatty Liver can become Non-Alcohol Fatty Liver Disease, which can also turn to Cirrhosis of the Liver. I believe another motivating factor was also seeing my Mother's health decline so slowly, but ever so drastically, from the very active whirlwind traveller, master of many trades, to total dependence on someone else and eventual 24/7 care in a long term facility. After caring for my mother for over a year at home, unfortunately her care was to great to continue the in-home care.
I WOULD LOVE FOR MY OWN HEALTH TO REMAIN VITAL AND VIBRANT, TO SEE MY GRANDCHILDREN GROW UP AND STILL BE ACTIVE WITH THEM. Also KNOWING THE STRESS OF CARING FOR AN incapacitated family member, I Do NOT WANT TO BECOME DEPENDANT ON OTHERS FOR MY CARE. I AM A FIERY IMPASSIONED WOMAN AND CREATOR WILLING, I WANT TO LIVE WELL IN MY NEXT 50 YEARS, SO I HAVE TO ALSO DO MY PART!
Being in the Holistic Nutrition program, was exactly where I needed to be as I learned there were many things that I could do to care for my liver. Our liver is a major detoxifier organ in our body and a healthy liver is needed for over 200+ functions in our body. This new passion has helped my liver and my health overall.
The Haudenosaunee lifestyle was greatly impacted by colonialism. When previously employed at the Six Nations Birthing Centre, I sought out wisdom about pre-contact traditional food practices. Knowing that we were once a very healthy strong people, I thought we must have known what to eat to sustain our health. That knowledge is right there in our Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen, (Thanksgiving address). It acknowledges and gives thanks to all that helps sustain our life. We are told that the Creator provided everything we needed here on Earth to sustain us.
Now that I have graduated as a Certified Nutritional Practitioner along with all my other previous teachings, I want to share the knowledge that has enlightened me. The “Life Sustainers” dream is being born.
In my recovery, I was greatly aware that natural health products and quality supplements were costly and being a sole support parent, it was not always affordable. However I was also painfully aware that if I didn't invest in my health, I was not going to attain the healthy vibrancy, I envisioned for myself and my children. Others, no doubt are in the same canoe! This is also what fuelled the dream, "Why have to run to town to buy these products when they could be available right on the rez, no taxes, save money!"
When I made the decision to leave work to care for my mother in 2011, I still needed to survive financially, I cashed in a good portion of the modest Social Work pension monies that I had accumulated. What remained is what I used to start the Life Sustainers dream. I purchased second hand shelving to get the dream off the ground. I purchased products and converted a living space into a store. I quickly learned that a few thousand dollars does not buy much, so thank goodness for Peter and Paul - I had good credit! I have learned some pretty expensive mistakes but a dream envisioned it going to be realized.
A huge part of me wishes I had embarked on this holistic healing journey long ago, when my children were young so they could benefit. However, my journey was what it was. It eventually plunked me into my passion, my very own nutrition store allowing me to assist people to live healthy and naturally.
Part of my long term vision is to do well enough to be able to make financial contributions to language revitalization and the community's environment protection endeavours.