Modesty. When you hear the word modesty you no doubt think of what your wear. That is one of the meanings modesty carries. However, modesty also carries the meaning of being moderate in the estimation of one’s abilities. It involves humbly accessing your current situation, recognizing your limitations and working within those limitations. It’s this later definition of modesty I will be referring to.

In writing this post, it is hard to comprehend just how much has changed and how far I have come on my Hashimoto’s health journey. I have met others with Hashimoto’s and a lot of them ask me, “How long did it take you to start to feel better?” I never have an easy answer for that because at the time of this writing, it has been almost 10 years of trial and error to get to the point of my Hashimoto’s being in remission without ever being on prescription medications. Keep in mind — “remission” is not the same as “cure;” I definitely do not have a cure for Hashimoto’s but I do have a fairly unique experience in getting to the vibrant state that I am currently in.

Hi, I am Ijmal. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in November of 2015. Back then I didn’t know what that meant for me, I didn’t even know what ulcerative colitis was. In my head it was simple, I have a sickness and I was given meds and those will fix me. In my head, I believed it to be as simple as having a cold. It didn’t take long before I learned chronic illness is much different than common illness.