Functional medicine health coach

Three years ago, my husband, Brendan, succumbed to colon cancer after a 10-month battle with the disease. It was a tremendous blow, but it also led me to rediscover and pursue my passion for functional medicine.

At the time of his diagnosis the doctors recommended chemotherapy but said the chances of remission via that route were only 10%. To go through the hell of chemo with only a slim chance of success seemed crazy to both of us, so we decided to look at alternative therapies and began to overhaul our diet and lifestyle totally. I dived into research, learning all I could about the root causes of disease. It was obvious to my husband that I was in my element; my brain was firing away!

Unfortunately, our efforts were in vain as the cancer had not been caught soon enough, and I didn’t yet have enough experience or education to help him. But before he passed, he gave me an incredible gift. He said, ‘Sandy, there is some money coming to you when I go. I want you to pursue this passion after I’ve gone; make the most of it.’

And that’s what I did. I used some of the money to take a course in functional medicine coaching. Functional medicine is a system of identifying and addressing the root causes of disease. It help me through the grief, and I found my calling.

I am now a qualified functional medicine coach, and I am deeply passionate about the work I do because I know the impact it can have on people’s quality of life.

I am honouring Brendan’s memory by helping others to feel healthier and to prevent, or heal, noncommunicable diseases.