The year that Alaina had to finish her senior year from home because of her illness, I was also home for much of that time during my gap year from college. I saw first-hand how sick she was, and I felt incredibly helpless.

But watching her subsequent recovery through the brain-mind-body connection and neural retraining was so amazing that it inspired me to switch my major from psychology to behavioral neuroscience. Alaina’s journey also inspired me to examine my own views on the power of thought and attitude in our lives. I would say that I am an all-around happier person than I think I have ever been. I still experience some pretty extreme stress and anxiety from time to time (what college student doesn’t?), but I feel generally more grounded. I hate that this happened to Alaina, but I can see that I and my family are stronger for having had this experience.

MELISSA