I'm so glad you're here!  My name is Charissa and I am the founder of Beyond the Plate Health Coaching. I am a health coach, wife, cancer survivor, and a full-time caregiver. I enjoy running, hiking, cooking, candle making, gardening and spending quality time with family and friends. I strive to live a simple, healthy, and abundant lifestyle in the presence of chronic disease. I am passionate about gut health, emotional stability, and stress management, and leading people to follow Christ.  

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My health journey began in 2020 when my husband and I discovered I was pregnant with my first child. My first trimester was a normal pregnancy; morning sickness, fatigue, mood swings, but as my pregnancy progressed my symptoms only intensified. I suffered severe nausea and vomiting, anemia, pain in my abdomen, and insomnia. I was told over and over again by my physicians that it is all a part of being pregnant. 

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On top of being very ill, we received the news at our 20 week anatomy scan that our daughter presented with a few physical anomalies and further genetic testing was recommended. I believed deep in my heart that the genetic testing would not change our plan of giving our daughter a chance at life, but our maternal fetal specialist recommended an abortion anyway.

 

On October 10th, 2020 I gave birth to my beautiful daughter via an emergency c-section. She was born not breathing and right away was taken to the NICU for intervention and further testing. During my c-section the surgeon found a huge volleyball size mass attached to my small intestines. I was rushed to emergency surgery and 7 days later was diagnosed with stage 4 follicular lymphoma. A few days later we received the diagnosis that my daughter had a rare genetic syndrome called KAT6B. She spent 304 days in the NICU where she endured many surgical interventions including, tracheostomy, gastrostomy, and eye lift.

 

 I spent our daughter’s first 5 months of life hospitalized with nearly fatal complications of chemotherapy; partially collapsed lung, sepsis, fluid in the abdomen, ileus, and so much more. In April 2021 I received the miraculous news that I was indeed in remission and in August 2021 my daughter was discharged home on life support. 

 

By the grace of God I was given the gift of being her full-time caregiver. My cancer was gone and my lung was healed, but my body was far from healthy. I focused all my attention on caring for my daughter. I stopped listening to the needs of my body and lost myself. 

 

In 2022 I had two hernia repairs and my gallbladder removed. I suffered from short bowel syndrome, causing me to experience diarrhea and dehydration. I acquired an unhealthy relationship with food, leading to binge eating, therefore, experiencing intense abdominal pain. In 2023 I was diagnosed with infertility and underwent spinal fusion surgery. On top of all the physical battles, I developed PTSD and depression. 

 

In July 2023 I began searching for holistic ways to heal my body as my conventional medicine was no longer serving me. I found Integrative Nutrition and decided to take a leap of faith and enroll in their health coaching program. 

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During my journey at IIN, I began the journey of emotional healing and rediscovered my identity through Jesus. I have found the power of forgiving, accepting, and surrendering. I truly believe in the middle of hardship and suffering, we can live a life full of joy and abundance.