I am happy to share my story with you, the trials and challenges I have faced and the lessons that I learned along the way. This experience has given me an opportunity to apply the principles of healing and wellness firsthand. As a result, I can speak with greater authority about illness, healing and wellness.

I have had to deal with chronic pain and degenerative effects of rheumatoid arthritis for many years. The diagnosis was made in 1992. My initial reaction was typical; I went through the emotions of shame and blame and regret that makes people feel like victims. Why do I have to suffer like this? What could I take to make it all go away? Would I get a second chance? What am I going to do now? Will I be able to continue to work and how will I support my family?

Our culture teaches us to be afraid of illness, disease and aging. Aging is about degeneration, misery and despair, yet we are encouraged to live a long life. We are convinced to be afraid of cholesterol, blood pressure, cancer and stroke, especially if you are over fifty. These issues take precedence over joy, creativity and imagination, the essence of living that seems to be a privilege of youth, not adults or the elderly.

I was determined not to be a victim of this condition and I was going to look upon this experience as an opportunity to learn and grow. How would I manage this condition as a Chiropractor? What would I tell myself if I were my patient?

The medical treatment for my condition is steroids, pain medication and immunosuppressant drugs. The objective of medical treatment is palliative; suppress the symptoms while the disease continues to progress. 

My training in natural healing and Chiropractic taught me that my body does not derive the vital resources that it needs to refresh and renew from these chemicals.

In 1993, I met Dr. Dick Versendaal, a Chiropractor from Michigan who practiced CRA (Contact Reflex Analysis) and taught Clinical Nutrition. He spoke about treating chronic and degenerative diseases like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and lupus with nutritional supplements, diet, rest, exercise and moderate living. He taught me that disease and illness occur when the nutrient reserve of the body is depleted. Before meeting Dr. Versendaal, I did not have much respect for nutritionists, nor did I have much faith in vitamins and minerals. This industry is not regulated and many self proclaimed experts are nothing more than quacks and charlatans. Furthermore, many products on the market are synthetically derived substances not food. Just as Science has not been able to produce life in the lab, they have been unable to replicate the complexity of living food. 

The objective of clinical nutrition is to replenish the nutrient reserves so that the body can heal. Whole food concentrates, like those made by Standard Process, enabled me to accomplish this. Dr. Versendaal taught me to treat the individual and to nurture health. Healthy bodies do not suffer illness or disease. 

• I believe that we were not created to be sick. Illness and disease are the result of abuse and neglect and serve as motivators to change your lifestyle.
• Our bodies were designed to express the nature of the spirit. The nature of the spirit is joyful and creative.
• Our mind is created to record the experience of life and reflect upon its significance. When filled with fear, the mind limits expression and suppresses the spirit.

In July 2010 I became ill for the first time in my life. Up to that point I lived an active and healthy life without any concern for aging or degeneration. I was hospitalized with congestive heart failure.

I realized that I was totally beyond the scope of my training or experience so I set aside any opinions or ideas that I had regarding my condition and decided to learn something new. What I learned is the difference physicians and healers. Physicians are trained to deal with disease and health crises. Healers are trained to deal with dysfunction.

The news got worse, devastatingly worse. The heart condition was caused by kidney failure. I would need to begin dialysis and was told that I should prepare for a kidney transplant. The idea of a transplant did not sit well with me. I do not believe that we have interchangeable parts. I knew nothing about dialysis except that I had to agree to it or die. 

My initial reaction was to prepare for death. I am not afraid of death and understand that it is part of life. I was saddened at the prospect that my life was near end. My wife was not ready or willing to let me die. I spent three days in this mental and emotional slump. I was depressed. How could this be the end, I asked myself over and over. 

During those three days I would get glimpses of feeling better and stronger. I couldn’t be dying I was feeling better. At first I attributed these feelings to optimistic delusion. But I felt stronger each day and realized that I would pull through this, maybe even beat back this disease and recover completely. 

I now had a team of doctors looking after me. They call themselves hospitalists, young rookie doctors learning through experience in the grind of a hospital environment. It is a grueling existence; 12- hour days, a ward full of patients and your job is to get them stable and send them home. The business of medicine has become cold and uncaring.

I mentioned earlier about the difference between physicians and healers. This is not common knowledge and it was an incredible awakening for me. Here it is again; physicians are trained to deal with disease healers are trained to deal with dysfunction. 

Let’s say you have chest pain, numbness in the left arm and shortness of breath. You are concerned so you make an appointment to see your doctor. He runs an EKG and everything is normal. He tells you nothing is wrong and sends you home. There is no disease for him to treat today so this is not a medical case. 

But something is wrong; you have symptoms. The symptoms are real and you are very concerned. You have a dysfunction and should see a healer because he is trained to deal with your condition, whatever it is. Most people get mad at their physician and tell their friends that they are uncaring. Understand that a physician is not trained to deal with dysfunction.

Doctors are supposed to know everything and are the only ones that you go to for anything. As it turns out, physicians have become limited to their specialty. Any time your symptoms fall outside of their specialty, they refer you to another specialist.

When an organ is broken or no longer functioning, it is diseased. My kidneys are diseased; they no longer work. Medical intervention is required to prevent another crisis because my body can no longer adapt.The disease unbalances the entire body and all of its systems. Healing is still essential to address the needs of the body to continue to survive. 

My kidneys stopped working in 2012. I started dialysis soon after being diagnosed and my kidney doctor suggested that I consider getting a transplant and then retire so that I could enjoy the time that I had left. 

Rather than looking back with regret on my short and not yet fulfilled life, I chose to focus on the things that I could do to improve my quality of life and make the best and most of what I had to work with. Thus, was born the idea of Proactive Living.  

Proactive Living is about maintaining your independence by taking charge of your life. Balance and mobility are the leading cause of debility for people as they age. Falls are the most common cause of injury. Loss of mobility is the leading cause of physical and mental decline. 

When I got sick, I did not know what to expect, and I could not anticipate the challenges ahead of me. I had to learn how to respond to the challenges. Dialysis is grueling and time consuming. I spent 5 hours a day, 3 times a week in dialysis. It was like flying to San Francisco or Los Angeles every other day. 

After a couple of years of dialysis, I decided to get a transplant, because the treatment was interfering with my life. This journey started in 2015. I was rejected 4 times by different transplant centers and was even told that my quest for a transplant was hopeless. My determination to get a transplant was fueled by my dreams. Without a dream, I would not have had the tenacity to persevere. I received my kidney transplant in June of 2022.

The idea of RESTORATIVE HEALING came after the surgery. My wife became my caregiver and had to help me with almost everything. Rather than wait to heal, I focused on rebuilding my CHI because I was weak and felt depleted. My vitality increased exponentially, and I was able to return to work part time 2 weeks after beginning these exercises.

Seniors must approach restoration differently due to the unique challenges related to aging. Strength and stability are essential prerequisites to mobility, fitness, and strength. 

“If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have done a better job.”

Many seniors feel helpless about their physical and cognitive decline and blame it all on old age. Don’t be one of these people who live with regret. You must start with a WHY, and then build the CHI before working on strength and mobility. You are allowed to have dreams after retirement. Create your bucket list to motivate you to get better, then get better the right way. 

I created the Proactive Living brand in September of this year around this idea of restorative healing. My mission is teaching skills to the helpless and giving hope to the hopeless. 

My kidneys failed in 2012. My doctor suggested that I retire and enjoy the time that I had left. I didn’t know how much time I had left, but was committed to make the most with what I had to work with. 

I did not know what challenges lay ahead for me, or the problems that I would have to contend with. Dialysis took a huge toll on my health and life in general. By 2016, I had to reconsider my options, and a transplant became the best choice .

Transplant is a very expensive undertaking, and it also meant being out of work for 4-6 months. It took 2 years to set aside the funds needed to cover the bills during my recuperation. Then I had to find a transplant center. This turned out to be a much bigger obstacle than I anticipated. Each time I applied at a center, it would take 3-6 months to get through the evaluation process. I was rejected 4 times. Then Covid hit, and I had to wait another 2 years. 

My experiences with kidney disease and transplant surgery has given me an insight into life as an invalid. I know what it feels like to be weak and incapacitated. I had to learn to depend on others, and to be patient. Walking is still slow and my hips and legs ache if I stand or walk too long. I still have issues anemia, which keeps me feeling tired and depleted. I will have to live with these conditions for the rest of my life, but have learned to work around them and continue to serve others. 

The one thing that kept me motivated to push through was my love for the work that I do as a healer. Without that goal in front of me, I would have easily caved in.

I came to understand that everything in life happens for a reason. I never accepted the idea that getting sick was unfortunate, or that I was cursed or doomed. I learned what it felt like to be compromised and vulnerable. I learned how to trust people and not to begrudge them if things did not go as expected, I learned that helplessness leads to anxiety, and I learned that the will is the strongest medicine of all. It was the belief in integration of Spirit, Mind and Body that kept me moving toward my goal. 

The body is a willing servant and will rise to the demand set before it. 

The mind controls perspective and influences the body in a positive or negative way. 

Spirit withdraws when the mind rejects hope, and advances if allowed to lead. 

The correct order is Spirit — Mind — Body

Recovery is not easy; it takes time and progress is painfully slow. Comparing your current physical capacity to what you could do 20 years ago is wrong. You must live in the present and make the most of what you have. 

Vitality is the energy that will benefit your recovery the most. When I speak of vitality, I am talking about CHI, and it is the first thing that you learn about in Restorative healing. Restoring function takes time and perseverance. Fortunately, it is not a competition and you set your own goals and pace.