07/22/2026
I have gone back and forth on making this post because I don't usually share a whole lot of my personal life on here, but I also feel like so many of you have shown me so much grace these last few weeks that you deserve to know what has been going on.
If you've been waiting a little longer for a reply, had a session rescheduled, or have simply been wondering where I've disappeared to... here's why.
On July 1st, I got sick. We originally thought it was just a stomach bug, so I did what most moms do. I stayed home, tried to push through it, figured it'd pass in a few days, and kept telling myself tomorrow would be better.
Tomorrow never came.
For 14 days I tried treating what we thought was a stomach bug at home. During that time I lost 16 pounds because I couldn't keep food or fluids down. Not water. Not Gatorade. Nothing. I finally went to my P*P because I was at the point where I couldn't even walk halfway down my hallway without feeling like I was going to pass out. I couldn't cook. I couldn't take care of myself. I truly couldn't even be the mom I wanted to be.
And mind you... I have a 7-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 3-month-old baby. My fiancé works full-time on third shift. We were all just trying to survive each day.
At that point we still thought I had some type of bacterial infection. We were waiting on stool cultures trying to figure out if it was cyclospora, E. coli, salmonella... nobody knew. My blood work was completely out of whack, I was getting hydration IVs every other day, I was still losing weight, and absolutely nothing was helping. I got down to 95 pounds... and again, I had a 3-month-old baby at home.
After 21 days I was hospitalized, and eventually I was transferred by ambulance to OSF. We sat in the ER waiting room for six hours before I finally had doctors who really listened. They ordered an ultrasound, more blood work, and scheduled an endoscopy.
Four days later, I finally got my answer.
Celiac disease. permanent. life altering diagnosis. forever. grief.
Grief all while simultaneously relief that came with finally knowing what was wrong with me. Looking back now, it explains years of random flare-ups, stomach issues, exhaustion, and feeling sick for what always seemed like no reason. My body has been trying to tell me something for a long time - we just finally figured out what it was.
Also... because I have to laugh about it now... after fasting forever for my endoscopy, I was finally allowed to eat. I had ordered Arby's mozzarella sticks because they sounded SO good, and I literally had one in my hand when my doctor walked in, looked at me, and took it right out of my fingers. 😂 Welcome to the gluten-free life, I guess.
The next couple of days were filled with potassium infusions (if you've ever had potassium through an IV, you know 😭), magnesium, steroids, countless hydration IVs, hourly blood draws, two blown veins, swelling... and then slowly, I started feeling better.
I've been home for a couple of days now, about five days into a gluten-free diet, and I honestly feel like a completely different person. I'm keeping food down, I'm gaining weight again, I'm able to snuggle my babies, make myself meals, and actually enjoy the little things again.
As much as I wanted to jump right back into work the second I got home, I know I need to give my body just a little more time. My goal right now is to continue gaining weight, rebuilding my strength, and making sure I don't end up right back where I started.
I will officially be back to work on Monday, and I genuinely cannot wait.
I also just want to say thank you.
Thank you to every single client who was patient with me. Thank you for understanding when sessions had to be moved. Thank you for waiting on galleries, for checking in on me, for praying for me, and for giving me grace when I needed it most.
I wish I could hug every single one of you. Instead, I'm attaching a $50 coupon that anyone can use toward a future session. Thank you for loving my little family, supporting my dream, and giving me the grace to heal. I truly have the best clients and followers, and I don't take that for granted for a second. Consider this a small "thank you", but just know I truly wish I could offer so much more.
If we had to postpone your session, or you've been waiting for me to open my calendar back up, please send me a message this week so we can get you officially rescheduled. I want to make sure everyone gets taken care of and nobody slips through the cracks while I'm catching back up. I'd like to say I've kept the perfect track of clients I need to get ahold of, but truthfully, I haven't.
I'm also just going to be transparent, because that's who I've always tried to be. Being self-employed means that when life happens, work stops. I've been out for almost a month, and between that and medical bills, my savings took a pretty big hit. So through August 1st, I'm going to be as flexible as I possibly can with session pricing and budgets. If you've been wanting photos done but money has been what's stopping you, please reach out. I'd much rather have a conversation and see what we can make work than have you not ask at all.
This entire experience has changed my life. Not just because I'll be gluten-free forever, but because I finally have answers. Looking back, it's so clear why I was always sick before this. Those flare-ups weren't random. They were my body asking for help. So also big thank you to anyone who dealt with those winter flare ups + never jumped on a bandwagon when it was easy to call me a bad business owner.
Thank you all for sticking by me while I figured it out. I'm incredibly thankful to finally be healing, and I cannot wait to get back to doing what I love most.
See you all very soon. 🤍
