What you may not know about me is that I am a Water Wizard. Yes, you read that correctly: A Water Wizard. I didn’t choose the Water Wizard life, it chose me. Here’s my story:
I was born in Roseville, California, on October 28, 1991. I lived there until I was about 7 years old, and then my family packed it up and moved to good ole Missoula, Montana. I grew up in Montana, and it was the absolute best; I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I started playing indoor volleyball when I was 12 years old; picture baby Bambi trying to walk for the first time. Yet here we are! I received a scholarship to play at Cal Poly SLO (go Mustangs!) and enjoyed my time there for five years, becoming a two-time All-American and the 2012 Big West Player of the Year.
I dealt with injuries here and there, as any athlete eventually does. But volleyball was my entire life. Without it, I didn’t know who I was. Nothing was going to keep me from playing. I graduated in the spring of 2014 and immediately went to play overseas. I played from 2014 through 2017. To be honest, I played because I was scared of who I was without it. I didn’t know what else I was good at or what I wanted to do for a “real job,” so I avoided it as long as possible.
In 2017, I was playing Germany for my fourth professional season, and in December of that year, I was diagnosed with a very rare form of ovarian cancer. I had no family history and no cancer gene in my body (testing was done). I had always been extremely health conscious – strict about what I ate, drank, my workout routine, my sleep schedule, and so on. So you can imagine the surprise when they told me the news. I flew home a few days later, where they performed emergency surgery to remove a tumor the size of a football from my right ovary.
Two weeks later, I began an extremely intense chemo regimen that lasted about five months. I had all of the fun side effects, such as nausea, fatigue, change in appetite, hair loss, trouble sleeping, and a couple of others I won’t name because it’s TMI. What I didn’t expect, however, was the brain fog and neuropathy being so bad I couldn’t walk without looking at my feet. My mom asked me to write “FREE” on a piece of paper so we could tape it on a desk we were trying to get rid of. I started to write, and then my mind went blank. I knew it was supposed to be working, but it wasn’t. I had forgotten how to spell the word FREE. I couldn’t even remember how to write the letter F. This is when the water found me.
I was introduced through a friend and pretty much invested then and there. I had no idea what it was supposed to do. I just knew I was on my deathbed, and my only other option was to take medication for the rest of my life and hope it helped. I started drinking the water, and my body began to detox; within a week, almost all of my side effects were gone. I can’t make any health claims, but the water started to bring my body back to its optimal state of health simply by providing it with the right environment.
This water is a certified medical device that hooks up directly to your tap, transforming your water from acidic, unstructured, stagnant, “dead” water to alkalized, antioxidant-abundant, structured water. The machine is pretty much a defibrillator for water, giving its life back through electricity. It’s a literal holistic factory in your home! Learning all of this, plus my own personal experience, made me realize I needed to share this with people. Fast forward a couple of years and a few more bumps in the road, I moved to Austin, Texas. There, I found beach volleyball and met my now partner, Katie Dickens.
I quite literally didn’t think I would ever play volleyball again, but this water, this business, my health, and my freedom have allowed me to play the game I once so dearly loved. This time, it was because I wanted to and because I loved it. Not because I felt lost, without purpose, and desperate. I took my health, my power, and my life back, and it has been more than I could’ve possibly imagined. If you had told me five years ago that I would be sitting here in December of 2022, an AVP champion and about to be promoted to a level in my business only a few make, I would’ve absolutely cackled in your face.
Having cancer was one of the greatest things to ever happen to me; it was a gift. It completely changed my life in every sense of the word. It brought me to what I do now, which is to educate people and raise awareness about the power of water and why the water we drink matters so much.
One in two men and one in three women are diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. THAT IS SO MANY PEOPLE. My goal isn’t to bash western medicine (though it could use some major tweaks). My goal is to share the power of water and how much it can help EVERYONE. I strongly believe we go through certain experiences not just for fun but to help someone else who is or will go through something similar. If I were never diagnosed with cancer, I would’ve never said yes to this water. I would certainly not be making funny Grinch-themed Water Wizard videos on the internet.
I always tell people: chemo saved me from cancer, and the water saved me from chemo.
There is so much more I could say, but I want to finish with the most profound thing someone has ever said to me: “It’s harder to change when you’re winning.” Whether you’re struggling with your health, your relationships, your job, volleyball, or just life in general, remember two things: everything is a lesson and an opportunity to grow, and your faith in yourself and God can pull you out of ANY situation.
Stay HIGHdrated,
The Water Wizard