Since hitting my mid-thirties, my health started to decline. I caught every virus going around and was constantly ill. My hormones had always caused me grief and I was suffering severely on my monthly cycle. Following a long line of appointments and unsuccessful treatments I was given a full hysterectomy aged 37 and put straight onto HRT.
All seemed to be ticking along nicely for a while until I hit trauma in my life and all my symptoms returned. I became so poorly that I stopped taking all medication and eventually I was diagnosed with Post Viral Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Sleep Apnoea.
After a lifetime of independence, suddenly taking a shower used up all of my energy and I spent most of my days alone, in pain, weak and depressed. Most of my ‘friends’ abandoned me, I could no longer be a mother to my precious children and my husband became my carer – all because of an invisible chronic illness. Life carried on without me and all seemed lost. I grieved for the person I once was.
After struggling for a long time, I began to learn how to pace myself and adjusted to a new way of existing. Living with chronic illness was extreme but I managed to get myself to a place where I could work in a small part-time job to help bring an income in for our family, but then my health started to go downhill again. I would arrive home from work and sleep most of my life away while my husband did everything else.
I was confused and assumed I was relapsing, but then my whole world fell apart as I suddenly discovered a large lump in my breast that seemed to come from nowhere and was diagnosed with an aggressive, hormone-receptive breast cancer. I hit rock bottom.
After twelve gruelling months of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy, I was cancer-free, but the treatment had ransacked me and left me exhausted. I was desperate to feel well again and knew I couldn't cope with life as it was so decided it was time to help myself and utilise what nature had to offer.
During my illness years, I spent time researching alternative health solutions. There are lots of interesting theories out there, some of which are bonkers, but I came across some that really made such a difference to me. With the help of some wonderful products, I was back to running errands, spending time with my children, cooking dinner and sleeping better. My energy returned and my depression disappeared. Looking back this sounds extreme but I promise you it’s true – all by using natural products!
Lorraine and I had been friends for some time through our children and we would chat about health and wellness with each other, something we found we had in common, which ultimately led to our setting up in business together.
With such strong passion and belief in natural, alternative health products, we wanted to bring safe and effective health alternatives to women in the UK this was the inspiration behind hapihealth and the foundation it has been built upon.