I woke up that morning in the summer of 1992 and realized I finally had to face whatever it was that had made my tummy grow so large over the last few months. I just couldn't stay in denial any longer. Some part of me knew there was something seriously wrong inside, and that I was finally going to have to face the doctors and get it checked out

I didn't want to believe that anything could be possibly be "wrong" with me. It seemed I had been doing everything right! I'd been extremely health conscious, proactively conscientious for over twelve years, I ate vibrant, nourishing, vegetarian food, drank only pure, clean, filtered water and rebounded on a mini trampoline every day. I lived in a little cottage on the beach in Malibu, California, and breathed fresh sea air. More important, because of all the personal growth work I'd done over the years, I was already happening naturally. I was deeply fulfilled in my marriage, loved my kids, and felt enlivened by and extremely grateful for my work--traveling the world giving seminars, inspiring others to create vibrant health. My life was everything I had ever longed for.

I'd spent a lifetime attending workshops and seminars, learning everything I could about healing the body and the spirit. It seemed my entire life was about living the principles of health and well-being--I defintely "walked my talk." Yet here I was faced with a tummy so large that I looked pregnant, though I knew I wasn't. How could this be when I was doing everything right?

Embarassed and ashamed, I couldn't admit my fears to even my closest friends. Here I was, "an expert," teaching others how to take charge of their health. yet I couldn't even zip up my loosest-fitting slacks.