To those who have not lost hope,

It makes me tear up just writing this. People inspire me, and seeing how people choose to take care of themselves despite all odds and seeing that positive impact spread to the world around them, it’s incredible. There is no greater joy than helping people to take control of their health, therefore their lives, to have the ability to be there for those around them. Witnessing this unfold makes me emotional every time.

Over the last 3 years I have learned more about my mind and body than I ever thought was possible. This was not a choice, I had pushed myself so hard for so many years that my body shut down. I couldn’t muster the energy to eat more than a bag of chips as a meal and I ground my teeth to the point of extreme pain. 

The Start

I’ve always been over achieving, after many years or pushing my limits in April 2021 it all came crashing down. 

It had taken years to get to my breaking point. I had this voice in my head that told me to just get over myself and everything will be fine. Turns out I had to learn to let my body rest and reset. Grasping to balance what my mind and body was capable of vs what I wanted to do was incredibly difficult. It went against everything I had known my whole life. 

Connection to those closest to me is what got me through. The incredible people in my life who would check in on me, who would help me clean when doing the smallest things felt impossible. My friends who would make sure I was eating well, taking a minute for myself and being there for me. It meant everything.

The Hardest Part

Just as I was starting to see glimpses of the brain function I had so sorely missed, I tore my entire left ankle apart. It meant I was no longer able to take care of myself and it tore any independence I had built up straight from under me. It started with 2 months on crutches, and just as I thought I was healing I re-tore a ligament, even while wearing the prescribed brace and doing everything the doctor told me to do. This continued to happen for a year, about every 6 weeks to 3 months. At some point I decided to take control of my own health and be more actively involved, determined that things were going to get better.

This was not a straight line. I made so many mistakes, and felt lost. But my support system never gave up on me, my friends were always there encouraging me. During one of my lowest moments a friend gave me a journal and said in her most loving way “You WILL write at least 3 pages in this journal every day”. It didn’t matter what I wrote, just that I did. 

The Turning Point

After journaling for a few weeks I had an “ah ha” moment. I had done everything conventional medicine told me to do (and still do), but there was something missing. Otherwise I would have healed 2 months in instead of now 18 months post injury still re injuring myself. What was missing was someone to connect all of the dots of what was going on inside my body and mind.

I had no idea that Vitamin D was important for strong bones and soft tissue (ligaments and tendons). And that in order to absorb it into the body you also needed Vitamin K, Magnesium and Zinc. Turns out when I did a blood test I was deficient in all of these. I was also deficient in so many things that were impacting my mental health. All of a sudden, I felt like there was something tangible that I could do something about. 

That feeling that I now knew how to progress and had a direction to move towards was incredibly empowering, it finally felt like there was something that gave me hope. There are so many people out there who feel the same way and they just didn’t know where to start. This is where the idea for Saha was born. 

The Hope

There are so many people out there who have been called to help others that are incredible at what they do, they just don’t have the skills or often the desire to get their name out there. Conversely, there are so many people who know that conventional healthcare is incredible, but often it just is missing something. I realized I have those skills to bring those two groups of people together. I’ve built and designed software for over a decade, I can build the bridge that will fill the gap between those who need the services and those with the skills to help. 

Saha translates to together or endure. We know that change is not easy but change is the only thing in life that is a guarantee, and together we find the strength to endure. Life isn’t easy, but having the opportunity to help others is the greatest gift I could ever ask for. 

With tears of love, joy and hope,

Alenka

Founder of Saha