My Story
I’m here to use my life experiences and education to help you create a sustainable approach to self-healthcare. This is my story, I hope it inspires you to join me.
Seven years ago, I was like most women. Juggling a full time job, going to school, caring for three daughters and my husband. Each day, I found my needs last on my to do list. Then life flipped upside down.
In just one year, everything changed for me. My family and I were evacuated from our home after a natural disaster and our beloved pet of 11 years passed away, soon after I was diagnosed with Stage II Triple Negative Breast Cancer. This subtype of breast cancer has the highest mortality rate and would require aggressive treatment. This treatment led to a blood clot in my heart. I had to inject blood thinners into my abdomen daily to help dissolve the clot and avoid open-heart surgery. My strength was tested even more when my father and brother passed away within months of each other. This was intensely more painful then everything else I endured but I was determined to take all the pain, hardships, struggle and turn it into a positive. If not for me, then for my daughters.
“There is one consolation in being sick; and that is the possibility that you may recover to a better state than you were ever in before.”
– Henry David Thoreau
I started with myself…
I decided I needed to do much more than just follow doctors orders when I nearly lost my life. I took the time and put in the work to educate myself on self care. In that journey, I found my purpose. I had all this knowledge, both experience and learned. I saw this huge gap in the communities that support women with cancer and chronic diseases. I found Latinas and African Americans being left out of health and wellness conversations. I was determined to fill that gap with practices and resources that would not only be relevant but empowering.
Eileen’s Training & Memberships
Master of Arts, Health Education
Columbia Universtiy, Teachers College (anticipated graduation May 2020)
Integrative Cancer Care Educator and Patient Navigation Training Faculty Member
Smith Center for Healing and the Arts (scholarship grantee from the Palette Fund).
Certified Holistic Health Coach
Advanced Certification, Institute for Integrative Nutrition
Certified Patient Navigator
The Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Program (scholarship grantee from the Livestrong Foundation).
Summer Intensive Cooking and Food Therapy Program Graduate
The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. (mentored by Dr. Annemarie Colbin, the school’s founder and award-winning leader in the field of natural health).
Just Food® CSA Chef
Selected to teach members of my community about local, seasonal eating, and how to cook and plan vegetable-inspired meals and recipes.
The University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine:
– Breast Cancer – An integrative Approach
– Nutrition & Cancer
– Environmental Health
Active Memberships
The Society of Integrative Oncology
The American Association of Drugless Practitioners
The International Association of Health Coaches
New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center’s:
*Integrative Collaborative
*Annual Breast Cancer Conference for Women-Of-Color Planning Committee
Certified African Heritage Plant-Based Cooking Instructor
Oldways African Heritage and Health
Through my workshops and consulting, I help people appreciate today’s medical techniques while fully embracing a more gentle, sustainable approach to healing. My journey has taught me how important it is that all people have access to this knowledge; from underserved communities of women with Breast Cancer to all the amazing caretakers of the world, everyone deserves to know how to truly care for themselves.
Over the past few years, I’ve been able to build partnerships with renowned healthcare institutions, integrative practitioners, and other organizations looking to bridge the gap with these populations. I’ve done this by offering specialized lectures, workshops, and wellness programs. My goal is to enhance hospital services, end disparities in care, and to educate the general public to take ownership of their health and well-being.
I help people appreciate today’s medical techniques while fully embracing a more gentle, sustainable approach to healing.
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”
– Carl Jung