Our Story
We were just two people in love at sunset… with no idea how much our love would be tested — or how deeply it would grow.💍❤️
During a routine doctor’s visit, some concerning blood work led my husband, Scott, to be referred to a liver specialist at Houston’s renowned Medical Center — home to some of the top doctors in the world. We sat across from that specialist, hoping for a plan.
Instead, without even looking us in the eye, he told us Scott had end-stage liver disease and less than a 50% chance of surviving two years without a transplant.
And that was the best case. It could happen at any time.
No hope. No options. No compassion.
A Crash, and a Choice
About a week or two later, Scott’s health crashed. He went from feeling fine to being nearly unconscious, sleeping up to 18 hours a day.
I had to find a way to care for him, for our furbaby Jack, for our home, and for both of our work projects — while spending every spare moment researching how to save him.
He stayed in that fragile state for nearly three months. To this day, Scott doesn't remember much from that time.
We Chose Hope
We both knew immediately: we couldn’t go back to that first liver specialist.
We knew how powerful the mind is. If Scott kept hearing hopelessness, it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
We canceled our next appointment without hesitation. And we made another decision: we didn’t tell our families.
We believe deeply in the power of energy and intention. We didn’t want fear, sadness, or the energy of death surrounding Scott’s recovery.
We chose to protect the healing space around him, speaking only hope, belief, and the possibility of miracles.
We also leaned into laughter therapy — watching funny movies, old comedy specials, and anything that could help lift Scott’s spirit. Laughter isn’t just emotional relief; it’s known to lower stress hormones and support the immune system, and we wanted to give his body every advantage.
We kept the TV on beach scenes with the sound of ocean waves, and used Tibetan singing bowls to create calming tones that support relaxation, energy alignment, and healing frequencies.
Everything around Scott — what he heard, what he saw, what he felt — was chosen intentionally to help his body and spirit remember what it felt like to feel good, healthy, and fully alive.
We made a conscious choice not to beg, plead, or ask “why us?”
Instead, we practiced what we call gratitude prayer — giving thanks for Scott’s healing as though it had already happened.
We spoke words of life and recovery over him daily, trusting that the energy of belief was more powerful than fear.
That doesn't mean we didn't have moments. I cried in the bathtub more than once. Hid in the closet so he wouldn't hear me break down. There were days it all felt like too much. But, even in those moments, we returned to belief. To love. To the idea that healing was not just possible — it was already unfolding.
We Remembered the Biology of Belief
Back in 2013, I read a book that changed the way I saw the world — The Biology of Belief by the brilliant Dr. Bruce Lipton. I was so inspired, I bought copies for friends and family. Then I read his book The Honeymoon Effect — and was equally moved. That book, too, left such a mark on me that I bought extras to give away. Lipton’s insights on the science of love, joy, and energy alignment resonated just as deeply.
The message in both books moved me: that our thoughts, environment, and energy could directly influence our biology. That belief could literally change our cells.
But like so many of us, I didn’t fully live what I had learned. Life got busy. The books stayed in my heart — but not in my habits.
Until it became life or death.
When Scott was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease, I remembered Lipton’s words like a bolt of lightning. I remembered why those books had stayed with me all those years. And I knew — if there was ever a time to stop reading and start living the biology of belief… it was now.
We chose to speak only life. To protect Scott’s healing space from fear, doubt, and heavy energy. We wrapped him in hope — in healing sounds, high-vibration music, ocean waves, and laughter. We gave thanks for his healing as though it had already happened — not out of denial, but out of deep belief.
We created an environment that supported life — not just physically, but emotionally, energetically, and spiritually.
And just like Dr. Bruce Lipton teaches, it wasn’t just about removing what was harmful. It was about flooding the body with love, gratitude, intention, and the possibility of miracles.
We weren’t just practicing hope — we were practicing the biology of belief.
A New Way of Living Food Was Our First Medicine
It wasn't easy. Making a drastic overnight change was one of the hardest things we’ve ever done.
Even though we already understood that food and supplements could be powerful — having worked in the food and supplement industries ourselves — like many, we had fallen into overindulging in sugar, rich foods, and convenience.
Now, everything had to change. I went through our pantry and fridge and cleared out anything with sugar, gluten, sodas, seed oils — anything that could feed inflammation, disease or delay healing.
I returned what I could, donated unopened items to a local women’s shelter (they were especially excited to receive the soda and snacks), and tossed the rest. There was no “maybe later” — we needed a clean slate.
And the results were undeniable.
In June of 2022, Scott’s MELD score was 26 — the kind of number that usually comes with transplant discussions, a hospital bed, and very little hope. But we believed something different was possible.
Instead of giving up, we changed everything.
We cleared out the pantry overnight. No sugar. No gluten. Just real food — nourishing, anti-inflammatory, and deeply healing.
We found the right supplements to support his liver, kidneys, and bile flow.
We started playing ocean waves and frequency music instead of the news.
We began speaking kindness to our bodies.
We believed his body could regenerate.
And it did.
Just three months later, Scott’s MELD score dropped from 26 to 19 — something his doctors told us was impossible without hospitalization or formal treatment.
By November, at the five-month mark, it had dropped again — all the way to 16.
No phlebotomies. No hospital stays. Just food, faith, and functional healing.
The doctors couldn’t explain it.
But we could feel it — the power of aligned choices, and the body’s extraordinary ability to heal when given the chance.
The Recipes Had to Pass One Test: Scott
I knew I had to find foods that were gluten-free, sugar-free, low-carb and low glycemic — foods that would reduce inflammation and allow the body to heal — and meals Scott would actually want to eat, so he wouldn't feel tempted to give up or think, "If I am dying anyway, I may as well eat what I want."
But when you’re sick, all you crave are comfort foods. And suddenly, I was taking away everything he used to enjoy.
Many of the recipes I first found online didn’t taste good to him at all.
He asked me to find ways to make his favorites into low-carb, gluten-free versions — foods he could actually look forward to.
It took trial and error. It took patience. And every recipe had to be tried and tested until it passed both of our standards.
And ultimately — it took Scott’s choice.
Scott chose to believe — and then he chose to fight.
Scott made the decision. He believed healing was possible, and once he did, he committed to it with everything he had. He chose to fight. He chose to trust that healing was possible. And once he made that choice, he committed to it fully.
He was the one who stuck with the new way of eating. He faithfully took his supplements, even when he didn’t feel like it. He trusted the process, even when it was slow, even when it was hard.
His blood tests tell the story of what happens when the body — and the spirit — are given the chance to heal.
I could do the research, find the recipes, and make the meals — but he had to sit down, take his supplements, and say yes to life — over and over again. And he did.
Together, we radically changed our approach to life, mindset, and food. We embraced low-carb, sugar-free, gluten-free living. We trusted that the body could heal if given the right support.
You Must Be Your Own Advocate
One of the greatest lessons we learned is this: You must be your own advocate.
You cannot blindly trust any professional — no matter how impressive their title. You must do your research. Prepare educated questions. Protect your hope. Trust your instincts.
I began searching for the best of the best liver specialist. We were grateful to live near Houston's Medical Center, but even so, the earliest appointment we could get was six months away. When I scheduled it, I joked, "Well, it's good my husband's not dying," trying to mask my fear with a little sarcasm.
But that six-month delay turned out to be a blessing. It gave us the gift of time — time to see what food and supplements could do. If Scott had been diagnosed with hemochromatosis right away, he might not have been willing to make the deep lifestyle changes his body desperately needed. Without feeling the real difference for himself, he might have been tempted to keep eating the way he always had. But during those months, he saw — we both saw — the miracles that are possible when you give the body the right tools.
The Turning Point
We Found the Right Help
Around that time, I remembered a friend I hadn’t spoken to in years — but Bobby is one of those friends you can pick up with like no time has passed at all. His mom, Dr. Gracie Chukwu, is a Doctor of Naturopathy and a Certified Nutrition Counselor, and my friend Bobby, was studying to become a naturopathic doctor (now Dr. Bobby Chukwu). Bobby and I had been coworkers more than a decade earlier. We had spent hours in deep conversations about health, energy, and the body's ability to heal. I trusted Bobby, I trusted his incredible mother.
I reached out and asked whether they thought they could help — or if we should stay on the transplant path, even knowing our insurance would likely never cover a transplant. Dr. Bobby told me they had worked with patients with severe liver dysfunction before — and had seen real success.
We booked immediately. It was on of the greatest blessings of our lives.
Through the food and supplement protocols recommended by Houston Holistic Health Clinic, Scott began to improve. Even in the early days, when Scott was too weak to travel, we had Zoom appointments to keep moving forward.
When the six months finally passed and we saw the second liver specialist, Scott's bloodwork shocked everyone. His labs had already drastically improved — something the first doctor had said was impossible. But we dared to believe anyway.
The second specialist immediately confirmed what I had suspected through my own research: Scott had hereditary hemochromatosis.
(The first doctor had refused even to order the test — locked into his assumptions.)
Within the first five minutes of the appointment, the new specialist said words that lifted the weight of the world off our shoulders: "Your husband is not going to die."
He was amazed by the improvement Scott had already made — just through food, supplements, and mindset — with Scott's MELD score dropping from 26 to 19 even before beginning formal treatment for the excess iron.
He told us he expected Scott's numbers to continue improving once the iron was brought under control. And they did.
Scott's MELD score continued to drop — all the way down to 8 — as he continued eating well, taking his supplements faithfully, and undergoing regular phlebotomies for about 3 months to reduce the overload.
At our most recent appointment, the same liver specialist told us Scott now has excellent liver function.
And I Transformed Too
Along the way, I experienced my own transformation — losing nearly 80 pounds after years of battling stress-related weight gain and hormonal changes.
I had been thin most of my life, but in my 40s, everything changed. Despite my efforts, the weight kept creeping on — and nothing seemed to work.
When I say I tried everything to heal, I mean it.
I went vegan for three full years.
I did a 40-day green juice fast.
I even completed a 21-day water fast.
I tried intense workout plans, endless cardio, weight training, diet pills, and even strict approaches like BBBE (beef, butter, bacon, and eggs).
And still — nothing made a real, lasting impact.
Then I found a combination of strategies that finally shifted my body into burning fat for fuel. For the first time, I was able to add back things like cheese, heavy cream, and even a little stevia — and still keep losing weight.
But the truth is — it wasn’t just about losing weight.
It was about reclaiming my health. Reclaiming me.
This wasn’t just change. It was transformation.
We Also Started Choosing Presence
But healing wasn’t just about food or supplements — it was also about how we lived.
We slowed down.
We began eating every meal at the table — no more rushed bites at our desks or zoning out on the couch.
We lit candles, turned on our favorite dinner playlist, and actually enjoyed our food.
We had real conversations — the kind that made us laugh, reflect, or just feel closer.
Mealtime became a ritual. A reset. A way of saying: this moment matters —
because we didn’t know how many more there might be.
I guess none of us really do.
Which is why they say to live each day like it could be your last.
Not from fear — but from presence. From love.
Healing wasn’t just about what we ate, but how we lived —
savoring the ordinary, laughing more, letting joy sneak into the everyday.
My Healing Wins
I didn’t just lose weight — I healed.
Here’s what shifted when I stopped dieting and started nourishing:
- I healed my insulin resistance — no more sugar cravings, no more brain fog.
- I healed my hormones — and with them, my energy, mood, and metabolism.
- I healed chronic fatigue — and now enjoy deep, consistent sleep.
- I healed hypoglycemia — no more shaky crashes or emergency snacks.
- I healed fatty liver — something doctors once told me might never fully reverse.
- I saved my gallbladder — no surgery, no meds, just deep support through food and lifestyle.
- I healed my fascia — that often-ignored tissue holding tension, trauma, and pain
And maybe most importantly… I found emotional balance.
I no longer live in stress or survival mode — I live in alignment, joy, and trust.
But this transformation wasn’t just physical — it was deeply emotional, too.
For the first time, I began practicing radical self-compassion.
Even the girl who was 5'10" and 118 pounds but still saw herself as fat — and not enough.
Who chased perfection but never felt at home in her own skin.
Healing meant learning to love myself without conditions — not later, not “when,” but now.
It meant learning to like and value myself exactly as I am — at any size, in any chapter.
To soften the judgment. To speak with gentleness.
To offer full acceptance… flaws — or perceived flaws — and all.
I used to think change had to come from the outside.
That I’d finally love myself once the weight came off… or when the reflection in the mirror looked different.
But healing didn’t come from fighting my body.
It came from choosing to see myself with love — exactly as I was.
As Marie Manucheri teaches, real transformation doesn’t begin by fixing what you see — it begins by aligning with the vibration of what you desire. You manifest change by loving your body now, while holding the energy of where you’re going.
I stopped waiting to feel worthy.
I made peace with my reflection.
And I began to live as if my body — and my life — were already aligned with joy.
I wasn’t chasing a number on a scale anymore — I was reclaiming the joy and self-worth I had spent decades tying to that number.
Real transformation doesn’t start with restriction.
It starts with love.
Scott always saw me that way — through a lens of pure love.
He never changed how he looked at me or treated me, no matter what I weighed.
He saw my light. My heart. My soul.
And finally… I started to see it too.
And when I did — when I began to see myself with love — something unexpected happened.
Even my relationships started to shift.
Old tensions softened. Strained connections began to heal.
Because how could others feel safe to love me unconditionally…
when I held so much quiet disgust for myself?
That self-judgment had been invisible, but it shaped everything.
And as I let it go — as I stopped resisting my own reflection —
I opened space for love, grace, and connection to flow in.
Why We Created Love Gratitude Joy
We’re Sharing Our Healing — to Offer Hope
Friends, family, and neighbors began asking:
What are you doing?
Can you share your recipes?
How did Scott recover?
How did you lose the weight?
That’s why we created Love Gratitude Joy.
To share the real foods that changed everything — low-carb, keto, carnivore, gluten-free, and sugar-free.
To share our journey — the highs, the heartbreaks, the healing.
And most of all, to offer hope to anyone who needs to believe that transformation is possible — even when it feels out of reach.
We’re here to remind you that your story isn't over. That the body is listening. That joy is medicine.
That healing happens — one choice, one meal, one moment at a time.
Our Mission
We share this path with others now — because healing, hope, and joy are meant to be shared.
Because when you find the person you’re meant to walk this life with, you don’t give up.
You fight for life together.
You believe in miracles together.
And you choose — every day — to live with love, gratitude, and joy.
We’re here for anyone who’s ready to believe healing is possible. Whether you’re just beginning, or looking for new ideas — you’re not alone.
Kristy, Scott, and our furbaby Jack