Aleksandra's Journey towards wellness

Aleksandra was fourteen years old when doctors put a name to the illness that had quietly shaped her adolescence and adult life: Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, or FAP. 

The diagnosis can be briefly explained by the endless medical appointments, the worrying test results, and the family history that stretches back generations. 

Her mom had lived with it. 

Her grandmother had died from complications no one fully understood at the time. 

Her other family members also carry the same thing and many complications that come with the disease.

The news changed everything.

First, Aleksandra struggled to accept her new reality. 

She was young, ready to go to high school, active, and dreamed of traveling the world. 

Instead, she found herself learning medical terminology, managing symptoms, and adapting to life, the life in the shadow of herself and the unknown.  

Yet she refused to let the disease define her. 

And not too many people knew about her struggles, but she is ready to share them now.

Over the next three decades, Aleksandra built a career around health wellness, and alternative methods of dealing with medical stress and became an advocate for people living with rare diseases. 

She learned how to listen carefully to her body and recognize the subtle signals that something is wrong.

One memory remained vivid above all others.

It happened during a surgery in her first serious medical appointment in her twenties.

The operating room was bright before the anesthesia took effect. 

Aleksandra remembered hearing voices fade into the distance. 

Then darkness.

At some point during the procedure, she became aware of sounds around her. 

Metal instruments clinked. 

Someone spoke calmly about measurements and findings. 

She could not move, but she did open her eyes. 

It was the first time she saw how badly her colon really looked. 

The diagnosis was there. 

Period. 

Panic surged around the room when the doctor and nurses saw that. 

The body was quickly put under anesthesia again, but her mind was not.

Was she awake?

The experience lasted only moments, though it felt far longer. 

Later, doctors explained that she had likely experienced a rare episode of anesthesia awareness. 

Fortunately, she remembers also the pain that came with it and the memory of it that lasted for years. 

This pain taught her a lot.

Rather than allowing fear to consume her, Aleksandra became determined to understand every aspect of her health. 

She read medical journals, attended patient conferences, and connected with specialists around the world.

Alongside conventional medicine, she developed a deep interest in natural wellness practices.

Her home became her sanctuary.

Behind her home grew lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, peppermint, rosemary, and dozens of medicinal herbs. 

Every morning, she walked among the plants, touching their leaves and breathing in their scents. 

She knew they could not cure FAP, but she believed they could support well-being, reduce stress, and help her recover from the emotional burden of chronic illness.

She studied nutrition, mindfulness, and herbal traditions from many cultures. She learned which foods supported her digestion and which made the symptoms worse. She practiced gentle yoga and spent quiet evenings tending seedlings in her greenhouse or reading books.

Friends often asked how she remained so positive after years of surgeries and medical challenges.

Aleksandra would smile and point toward her garden, which is  really in her heart.

"Health isn't only what happens in a hospital," she would say. "It's also what happens in every moment between the appointments."

Thirty years after her diagnosis, she stood among rows of flowering plants reflecting on the journey that had brought her there. 

The scars on her abdomen told stories of difficult decisions, brave surgeons, and second chances.

Living without a colon had not been easy. 

Living with a rare genetic disease had required resilience she never knew she possessed.

But she had learned that healing was not always about eliminating illness. 

Sometimes healing meant finding purpose despite it.

As the evening sun settled over her garden, Aleksandra picked a sprig of lavender and held it in her hand. 

The future remained uncertain, as it always had. 

Yet she felt grateful for every year, every lesson, and every bloom that reminded her life could still flourish in unexpected ways.

Her disease had shaped her story, but it had never written the ending.

She had over 5000 polyps in her colon, hence the name 5000 Ways of dealing with hmmm...nearly everything.

Life coaching at its finest from the University of Life.

Thank you whoever took the time to read this.