Hello

I grew up in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, surrounded by family and constantly on the move — from gymnastics to basketball, sport was a huge part of my life. I also did really well at school. But just before I turned 17, everything changed. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and it felt like my whole world had crumbled.

Suddenly, I was different. While my friends were carefree, I was carb counting, checking blood sugars, and chasing impossible perfection, because if you know diabetes, you know it’s never perfect. This constant pressure led to a deeply unhealthy relationship with my condition. I developed an eating disorder called diabulimia, where I deliberately restricted or skipped insulin to lose weight. People would compliment my appearance, unaware of how sick, exhausted, and mentally drained I felt.

For years, I struggled in silence. At the time, there was no official recognition of diabulimia I was simply labeled a “bad diabetic.” Thankfully, I had a strong network of supportive family and friends who helped me seek treatment and begin my recovery.

Unfortunately, years of poorly managed blood sugars left lasting damage. I developed impaired vision, gastroparesis, and early signs of kidney damage. It was devastating to accept that choices I made as a teenager would affect me for the rest of my life. But meeting my husband and knowing we wanted to start a family gave me a renewed purpose. I began prioritising my physical and emotional health and enrolled in a clinical nutrition degree.

Six months into my studies, I fell pregnant and developed hyperemesis gravidarum, relentless nausea and vomiting that sent my blood sugars spiralling and put my studies on pause. Thankfully, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl and resumed my degree part-time when she was just four months old.

Almost two years later, I became pregnant again. It was an even more complicated pregnancy, and our second daughter arrived unexpectedly at just 31 weeks. We are incredibly grateful that she spent seven weeks in NICU and made a full recovery.

Since then, managing ongoing gastroparesis, a condition that causes delayed stomach emptying and chronic nausea has been a daily challenge. But with the unwavering support of my loved ones, I pushed through and graduated with a Bachelor of Health Science in 2025, eight years after I first started.

My personal health journey, with all its ups and downs, is what fuels my passion for helping others. I know what it feels like to struggle. I know what it’s like to feel broken. But I also know the strength it takes to rebuild. Life may not be perfect, and I may never run a marathon but I’m deeply proud of my body, of the resilience it holds, and the beautiful babies it brought into this world.

And now, I’m here to help others feel that same pride, compassion, and hope — even on the hardest days.