When caregiving ends, your health still matters

The moment everything changed

Erin was 5 months pregnant with her third child when she got devastating news: Her sassy, funny, ball-of-light daughter, Ayla Grace, had diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare, aggressive brain cancer.

It was like an earthquake had opened up the earth. My old life is on the other side, my new life is here.

What followed was months of radiation, chemotherapy, clinical trials, and constant hospital visits. 

We would have to pick her up because she couldn't walk. It was a very physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding thing to be a caretaker.

Making room for self-care

At first, Erin’s own health was the last thing on her mind.

“My husband had to make me eat. When you're at that level of shock and trauma, you don't want to do anything.”

But a few months in, she knew she had to make a change.

I had a decision to make as a mom and as a partner: I needed to take care of myself.

She started small: cooking more healthy meals at home, exercising every day, and adding meditation and prayer to her morning routine.

“Before I would do anything, I would sit there and get myself in that mindset of being a strong mom for Ayla, and for my family, and for myself.” 

Ayla passed away almost a year after her diagnosis, but her bright light lives on through The Ayla Foundation, a nonprofit Erin and her husband created to raise awareness and fund clinical research for pediatric brain cancer, focusing on DIPG.

After Ayla’s death, Erin’s drive to improve her health didn’t slow down. It intensified.

In search of control

I was buying every supplement that I saw on Instagram. My pantry was embarrassing. There was so much stuff in there, and I didn't know if I needed it. I didn't know if it was working. I was using it because I was trying to control the uncontrollable.

But she wanted real information about her body. Not guesswork.

In the past, she’d looked into getting advanced testing, but the cost was a barrier. 

I wasn’t able to get as many tests as I wanted and really dive in deep. So when I was first introduced to Function, I was like, what? That would cost thousands upon thousands of dollars if I were to go to my functional health doctor.

What her data revealed

“In the past year, I’ve had high blood pressure. I told my primary care physician that it was weird, but she said, oh I just think it's your age, and I just think you're just stressed, and, you know, grief manifests in different ways.”

Erin’s standard cholesterol numbers were also in range, but through Function she found that her Lipoprotein(a), a type of cholesterol-carrying particle and a genetically determined risk factor for cardiovascular disease, was elevated. 

The same thing happened with iron. A basic iron check months earlier looked fine. But her results through Function showed her Ferritin was below range at 15 ng/mL. Ferritin reflects the body’s iron reserves.

I wouldn't have known had I not had those other levels checked.

There was encouragement, too. Erin’s biological age came back 10 years younger than her chronological age, a reflection of the habits she had worked hard to build.

Looking ahead

Erin is looking forward to her next appointment with her doctor, this time armed with her Function results.

I feel really confident now going to my doctor and saying let's be a little bit more proactive about this.

In the meantime, she’s simplified her supplement routine. Before the results, the list included vitamin B complex, collagen, colostrum, selenium, and ashwagandha.

“I have stopped taking most of my other supplements, and just take the ones that are targeted now, that make sense for my body.”

She’s also continued her morning prayer and meditation habit.

“That’s the best thing I could have done for myself. It just puts me in the right mindset and helps me be the person I am striving to be every day.”

Part of that mindset is about continuing to make herself a priority. The loss Erin carries hasn’t changed, but the way she cares for her health has.

We can't be the best person we can be and the best mom we can be if we don't take care of ourselves first.

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