PHOTO CREDIT: Duran Photography 

9 Year Old Violet’s Skate to Recovery

When it comes to patient testimonials, we have to admit that 9 year old Violet’s is one of our favorites. With her and her parent’s permission, we are sharing her story to let you all know that Elizabeth Tringali, PA-C also treats children for immune deficiencies at Tringali Vibrant Health. The following is written by Violet’s mother, and we are so thankful that she felt the need to get Violet’s story out there. 

Violet was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s at around 2 ½ years old. Doctors had actually missed it for months, having no explanation why she was so sick that her hair was falling out and her behavior was off. So, we had her tested. They found nothing wrong with her behaviorally. She just happened to be too young to tell us how she felt.
 
At that time her pediatrician completely failed us. She had allergies and was sick all the time with ear infections, colds, etc. This eventually led to us discovering her IgA deficiency when she was possibly 4 by her allergist/immunologist. IgA is immunoglobulin A, which are antibodies that play a major role in protecting us from infections. She’d then have good years and bad years when she started school, but she became very sick in October of last year with chronic sinus infections, migraines, painful eyes, chronic fatigue, body pains, and dark circles under her eyes. It was one infection after the other.

Doctors just kept wanting to put her on strong antibiotics and oral steroids. The side effects were awful, and she was not getting better.

Violet is a skateboarder…..a good one. But, she struggled so much with fatigue and lack of energy that her body just wouldn’t & couldn’t do what her heart and mind wanted it to do. It was heartbreaking to watch her want to just be a normal kid and have fun and do all the things she loves to do but see her struggle with just being so run down.  She’d skate with healthy kids and they could just keep skating for hours and Violet just couldn’t.  It really started to make her feel bad about herself and crush her confidence. She would skate a little and be exhausted, the stamina wasn’t there no matter how often she tried to condition.
 
This is when we sought Elizabeth’s help. Our first appointment at Tringali Vibrant Health was in the beginning of February this year. It took a while to get in with her but she was well worth the wait. Within just one and a half to two months we saw major changes in Violet. The dark circles under her eyes lessened. Her energy drastically increased. She lost the steroid puff weight she had gained from meds from regular docs, her stomach issues were mostly cleared up and she just looked physically so much stronger and the migraines and brain fog lifted.

“Within just one and a half to two months we saw major changes in Violet. The dark circles under her eyes lessened. Her energy drastically increased.”

It turns out that Violet had been chronically anemic and had a vitamin deficiency. We have seen a drastic improvement in her with the supplements and Myer’s Cocktail IV’s that Elizabeth has prescribed. Violet’s body is finally getting the nutrition it so badly needed. It’s so nice to have alternative care to help her now, and we are seeing the benefits of it all.

We have also noticed it’s not just her skateboarding that is improving but her math skills as well. She is in the Accelerated Math Program at her school, and her recent test scores show such an increase that we no longer worry that she’ll be able to keep up. The kids in this program are really pushed and basically take the state tests at a grade level above what they are in.  She’s in 3rd grade but needs to be testing at 4th grade level or above.  Prior to seeing Elizabeth we saw the brain fog Violet was struggling with.  She’d get questions wrong on tests that we knew she knew the correct answer too but the focus just wasn’t there.  
 
Finding out from Elizabeth that Violet has the MTHRF gene and needs methylated vitamins has helped so much, as well as treating the infection in her nose.  Violet had so many health issues that it was so hard to know what to treat first, but Elizabeth devised a plan to get Violet’s immune system working on its own.  We are so thankful.  Violet also plays the drums too & sings while playing.  Her teacher recently commented whatever we are doing keep doing it because he’s never seen anything like it.  She’s a total little rock star.  I hope this doesn’t all come off as bragging, we just are so proud to see Violet finally able to reach her full potential.  She now feels like a fighter & warrior and not a victim of her health issues.  We finally see that spark back in her and it’s amazing to watch.
 
The video below is a little blury, and my husband (and Violet’s biggest fan) added some heavy metal music to it. It was the first time that she landed this trick, and it’s a great snippet of how Violet spends her days at the skate park. She’s really holds her own in a sport that is so dominated by boys (see Violet here on News Channel 12 on how she’s changing the face of this sport). Violet skates for the Grind for Life Series skate competitions and helps raise money for people with cancer. I am so proud to be her mom and to know all that she battles with while still wanting to help others. She is a daily inspiration to me.

Thank you to Violet and her mom and dad Tara and Dan Boulter for this touching and INSPIRING testimonial! You can follow Violet’s skate tricks on Instagram at @violetsk8r. If you have a child with immune issues, make an appointment with Elizabeth Tringali, PA-C today: 561-283-1166.