So this is a random one. Friends, today we are going to talk about me. Not about my kids or yours, me. Weird, huh? My friends and family already know all of this. So if you stop reading now, I’m not judging.

Let’s start 6 years ago. I got sick. Like super duper sick. The kind of sick when you think you are dying. My sister in law, Katelyn, had to drive to my house, and drive me to the hospital. They agreed that I was that sick. They did a million tests and x-rays. And they diagnosed me with C-Diff. If you don’t know what this is, let me sum it up for you. It’s horrible and gross. Your body loses all the good bacteria and the bad bacteria in your gut takes over. And then you think you are going to die.

But don’t worry folks, things got weirder. I was treated for C-Diff and recovered nicely. While I was at work a few weeks later my doctor called. He was reviewing the x-rays that were taken on that day and saw a tumor in my ribs. Bone. Tumor.

I remember that phone call more vividly than I remember most moments of my life. I remember holding my breath. I remember saying “Please slow down” while I frantically grabbed for a pad of paper and a pen to write everything down. I remember calling my mom first. And then my fiancé (now husband). I remember crying hard for about 5 minutes and then getting a call that my next patient had arrived. I remember seeing my patient as if I was a zombie, walking him back to the waiting room, and promptly walking to the orthopedic surgeon’s desk. I handed him the paper and said “Tell me what to do as if I were your daughter.” And he did.

I was very fortunate to be taken on by one of the best orthopedic oncologists in the world. Dr. Howard Rosenthal. After following me for about one year he made the decision to remove the entire rib and replace it with a fake one made out of a material similar to Nalgene. Cool, huh? It was a long and painful recovery, but it was worth it and I was healthy. After the tumor was removed I was diagnosed with a disease called Fibrous Dysplasia. I was told it is super rare and it is likely going to occur again.

And it did happen again. But here is what makes this time different: Hank and Gus. A major and risky surgery followed by a six to twelve week recovery isn’t something this momma is interested in. But there is the pain. And some days it is bad. Really bad. It always hurts. It always throbs. If John throws his arm over my abdomen while I am in bed, I quickly move it. If my sweet nephew hugs me too hard, I shudder. If Hank gets too rough while we wrestle I gasp. And those are the good days.

So flash forward to July…this is where it gets good! A girl I knew from growing up told me about a probiotic she takes and loves. And having a history of C-Diff, I was in. So I started taking it. Two weeks into it, I was frantic. Doubling over in pain. One night in bed I admitted to John that I knew the tumor was growing as the pain was getting to be more than I could handle. Then two days later it started to go away. Every day it went away a little more. And now it is gone. Gone gone. Not gone one day and back the next. Gone. (The pain is gone, not the tumor…this isn’t voodoo juice, it’s a probiotic.) I started taking Flourish to keep my C-Diff at bay, and instead I eliminated the chronic pain of a bone tumor. I would marry Flourish if I could.

If you know me, this next part comes as no surprise. After I dopped by their office uninvited to check out the services and knowledge (which gets 5 stars), I contacted Entegro, the company that produces Flourish, and asked a bunch of hard questions. Jared Work, the in house pharmacist, called me back a few days later. (Which, I think, speaks volumes of the company!) He told me a bunch of delightful things about Flourish, like how it has 11 strains of bacteria when most probiotics have less than 5. He told me why Flourish is liquid…because that is probiotics in their natural state. How powder or pill forms are dead probiotics. He told me how Flourish doesn’t just support gut health, it also supports our immune systems. And then he confirmed that it was Flourish that had taken away my pain….he told me it supports bone health and decreases inflammation. There it was. I’m not crazy.

I give Flourish to my kids too. I slip it in their juice every morning. I have read reviews written by mothers who have seen really amazing results in their children. When I started giving it to mine, Hank started sleeping 12 hours a night, Gus started speaking in full sentences, and they both are 100 % potty trained. These are all lies. But both of them started having a regular poop schedule and their general health has noticeably improved. I am calling it a win.

If you want to partake in the magic of Flourish, check out Entegro’s website. I highly suggest you meet with the fantastic young woman who introduced it to me! Her name is Nikki Hulstein, and she is passionate and full of knowledge! She can tell you all about how it was originally designed for cattle and that the farmers started taking it when they realized the crazy awesome results on their herd. (That is what sold me! A probiotic for a cow being taken by humans? Yes please! I am weird like that.) Also, they will soon be launching a Flourish Junior made especially for little tummies!

And just so you all know…I am not making any money on raving about Flourish. I just love it THAT MUCH!