Success stories are all unique, but rarely does one create a total transformation of lifestyle and career. Yet, the story of Erika Schlick is one of triumph over unimaginable distress and pain. Her courage and strength should serve as a lesson to us all. And her ability to use her ordeal to change her life entirely is beyond what most ordinary people attempt.
Erika is a licensed architect who owns a design agency, which would be enough security and success for most people. Prior to a camping trip to Yosemite in 2012, she lived a relatively normal and satisfying life.
Then her body began its slow but steady decline in 2012. Doctors were baffled by her symptoms and inability to respond to their treatments. After two years in this unbearable existence, Erika had little hope. She worried that her body would succumb to her pain and fatigue, and at some point, the mental anguish would be too much to bear.
Finally, as a last-ditch effort, one of her doctors tested her for Lyme disease. Initially, Erika felt this measure could not hurt, but she had little hope that it would help, either. Being a ‘city girl,’ she wondered how she could have contracted Lyme disease, but when the test came back positive, she surmised a camping trip to Yosemite had to be the culprit.
Getting an answer for her declining health was both a sense of relief and outrage for Erika, who wondered how so many doctors could miss her diagnosis. She explains, “For two years, I went from doctor to doctor, getting various diagnoses and trying multiple treatments for food allergies, gut issues like candida/SIBO, Hashimoto’s, Celiac Disease and so many other diagnoses.”
Her anger and frustration of the situation was intensified by how many treatments she had tried, some of them complicating her health with adverse reactions such as food and mold allergies. And she was livid that not a single doctor in two years had recognized her symptoms as Lyme disease.
This ordeal served as motivation for Erika to get educated. She went on a deep-dive, fact-finding mission to uncover everything she could on Lyme disease. This fiery passion sparked another. As she learned more and more, Erika felt compelled to share her journey with others, hoping no one else would have to go through a situation similar to hers.
Her journey also prompted her to legitimize her knowledge by becoming a certified health coach. She explains, “I have healed myself and am in remission from Lyme disease, multiple autoimmune diseases and a myriad of other conditions from food allergies, toxic mold, detoxing from heavy metals, leaky gut, and more.” Working with some of the best doctors in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area, Erika earned her health coaching certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.
Erika’s website, The Trail to Health, is a comprehensive journey of information she has uncovered about Lyme disease and some essential health information everyone should know, but very few do. The Trail to Health depicts her complete story, blog posts, healthy recipes, health coaching, and details about her new cookbook, Wandering Palate.
These days, the architect with her own design firm, has expanded her interests. After a full recovery from Lyme disease, she has the motivation and energy to pursue other passions. While she still owns her own design business, she has made considerable time to raise awareness and educate others. You can follow Erika Schlick on all of her social media links below and visit her website, The Trail to Health.
Erika on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube
And check out her Yelp Reviews!