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A Health Hero has discovered the difference between a successful outcome and a life overtaken by illness or adversity…It is time to celebrate those who choose to be in the drivers seat of their lives!

A 300 Pound Vegan

From addiction to helping others through yoga and positive thinking

Teresa is helping others achieve success through positive relationships 

WHAT IS A HEALTH HERO?

At Ask Dr. Nandi! we developed the term #HealthHero as a way to describe health inspiring individuals. These people have literally saved their own lives by making their health the #1 priority. Their experience with the challenges in their lives, and their well-being, made clear the devastation awaiting those that took it for granted.
The least we can do is take a few minutes to celebrate them, the challenges they have overcome, and the healthy, spiritual life they have chosen to live.

Help us celebrate the #HealthHero in your life!

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE A #HEALTHHERO!

Meet Our Health Heroes

Man Dies 3 times, comes back with Mission to Stop Distracted Driving

Brandon La Forest never thought he would be a Dr. Nandi Health Hero!  He also never thought he would have to be fighting for his life after a distracted driver hit him at 80 miles per hour. Brandon died 3 times on the way to the hospital and was given a 2% chance of surviving…

Raising a family while battling the stigma of HIV

This week’s Health Hero, Maria Lafreniere was utterly shocked when told she was HIV positive in Sept 2007. She remembered that summer she was very sick.  Finding the timing of the illness strange, she called her father who was a registered nurse.  He suggested an HIV test, but Maria brushed it off as she believed…

Meet the 300 pound vegan who is changing lives

After graduating from UCLA, David Carter was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals. Three years later, he was released by the Dallas Cowboys and it was at this time that he started his Health Hero journey. He began to look for answers on the best ways to heal his ailing body.  David had become tired of needing…

This doctor has made the health of children around the world his mission

This week’s Health Hero is Dr. Henry Macki from Orphan Medical Network International (OMNI). This 20-year-old organization’s mission is to provide health care to orphans as well as to serve vulnerable children and the communities in which they live through education and community development. Dr. Macki is a doctor with OMNI and he has made…

Battled PTSD but found her way with yoga and meditation

This week we would like to introduce you to Nikki Panfil, our latest Health Hero. Many people have heard the term “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” or PTSD in relation to our veterans coming back from war. Nikki was diagnosed with PTSD when she was attending college at the age of 18. She had experienced years…

Devin made her health goal a mission to help others

To look at Devin Alexander today, you would never guess she had to battle a weight problem. At one time, Devin was 70 pounds heavier and unhealthy. She knew she needed to lose weight but she did not want to give up the foods she loved, so she made it her mission to transform her…

Teresa is helping others achieve success through positive relationships

This week’s Celebrity Health Hero is Teresa De Grosbois. She has written 4 bestselling books and now teaches people around the world wanting to create grassroots change in communities and businesses on how to do so. Teresa believes we can shift the thinking of society just by understanding how to generate the spread of positive…

Danny didn’t let Tourette’s Syndrome slow down his passion for entertaining

When Danny was 7 years old, he was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome. Tourette Syndrome or TS is a neurodevelopmental or brain-based condition that causes people who have it to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics. Roughly 200,000 Americans are afflicted with this condition. Danny D’s condition worsened through his teenage years. Danny says it…

He never let a cancer diagnosis stop him from making the world laugh

If you have ever been to a taping of the Ask Dr. Nandi show, you will recognize this week’s Health Hero Charlie Newhart. Charlie is a comedian, an actor, a father and a friend to the show. Charlie keeps our audiences laughing while we tape the show and his spirit and love of life are…

She faced her fears and now helps others face theirs

Looking at Maria Rea, you would never guess that she is anything but the strong confident Founder and CEO of MY Media & Publishing Group and Creator/Publisher of MY Authentic Life magazine. But for years Maria battled many fears that stemmed from growing up in an unhealthy home environment with an abusive alcoholic father. She clearly remembers…

He’s battled 5 cancers and still continues to live a positive life

William Belfry will always tell you that he was healthy. He never missed work because of a cold but that all changed one day when he casually asked his doctor to check out a lump on his neck. His doctor had him go to a specialist immediately who gave William the news that he had…

Diabetes has never slowed him down

When most people are excited about getting ready for that first year of college, Rufus Dorsey found out he was type 1 diabetic. While in high school, Rufus played sports including football that landed him a scholarship to college. One month before he headed off to college, Rufus was diagnosed with diabetes. Getting this diagnosis…

Major league baseball player battles cancer to win World Series

Mike Lowell has been a champion on the baseball field winning 2 World Series championships, World Series MVP and countless other awards. But it is his battle with cancer that has made him a true champion and Health Hero. Five days before his 25th birthday and just before the 1999 baseball season, Lowell was diagnosed…

Hockey great beats cancer and strives to continue winning

Mario Lemieux has won the Stanley Cup as a player and an owner. He is considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time but Mario Lemieux’s greatest victory happened when he beat Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1993. He has won numerous medals in the Olympics, World Championships but he has said one of his…

Prince Harry’s struggle with depression after his Mother’s passing

When most people look at Prince Harry, they see a confident, happy man but just recently he revealed that he has had counseling to deal with the death of his mother Princess Diana.  In a 25 minute interview, Prince Harry revealed that he kept the grief of his mother’s death inside which led to feelings…

A Radical Suggestion Leads to a 100 Pound Weight Loss

Kendal Harding decided to take a stand for her health and lost over 100 pounds and this is why she is this week’s Health Hero. Kendal has had to battle a weight issue all her life despite being physically active. She walked. She did aerobics. She went to the gym but over time she continued…

How Cheryl Sandberg coped with the loss of her husband

Sheryl Sandberg had it all. She was married to the man of her dreams, had two children and is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook.  Then her world changed in an instant when she found her husband dead. Sheryl was tossed into a world of sadness, grief, anxiety and worry. She has spoken out in a…

Jillian took charge of her endometriosis and PCOS diagnosis

Did you know that our Celebrity Health Hero, Jillian Michaels not only battles endometriosis, but polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)? Jillian rose to fame as a tough trainer on “The Biggest Loser”.  Through her books and appearances she announced that she was having these battles after she was criticized for saying she would much rather adopt…

JJ Virgin Fought For Her Sons Life and Found A Miracle Mindset

Some have called JJ Virgin inspirational. Some have called her powerful. Others have called her inspiring. I call her this week’s Health Hero because JJ Virgin is all those things and more. She has made her mission in life to empower others to thrive and become better versions of themselves. Facing a potentially horrible tragedy…

Michael J. Fox never gives up in his quest to find a cure for Parkinson’s

Michael J Fox grew up before our eyes playing Alex P. Keaton on the hit TV show Family Ties. Michael’s acting career continued to blossom and he quickly made the celebrity A list with continued television and box office hits. In 1991 at the age of 30 his world changed forever when Fox was diagnosed…

After a decade of debilitating symptoms Izabella finally gets a diagnosis

Izabella after almost a decade of debilitating symptoms that she was told were “just in her head” or “due to depression” Izabella was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.   When she was initially diagnosed in 2009, she remembers feeling a sense of relief that she finally had an explanation for her chronic fatigue, irritable bowel…

A family embraces their teen after coming out, then takes steps to help others

The Keiths are loving, caring and powerful family. By being a supportive family to their son, they have also become a source of comfort and love for many people around the world. Assigned female at birth, Roz and Richard Keith named their daughter Olivia. Olivia was always perceived as a tomboy with “male” preferences. At…

Father with diabetic son creates sports drink alternative

Peter Adoni is this week’s Health Hero because in helping his son, he also has helped countless others with Type 1 diabetes. When Peter’s son Alex was first starting to play hockey, Alex could not drink the mainstream sports drinks because they contained a lot of sugar and fructose corn syrup. With Type 1 diabetes,…

Left paralyzed, Dustin’s hard work lead him to stand again

In a flash, Dustin Shillcox’s life was changed forever. Dustin was in a car accident and was paralyzed from the chest down. Doctors told him that her would never walk or be able to move his legs again. Dustin lived with this diagnosis until 2013 when he received an electrical stimulation implant. After doing 18…

Theresa Flores turns her tragedy into a story of hope and love

This week we celebrate Theresa Flores as our Health Hero. Theresa Flores is a story of strength and willpower. When Theresa was 15 years old and living in an upper-middle class suburb of Detroit , she was drugged, raped and tortured. She spent two years as a sex slave while attempting to pay back a…

Local celebrity steps up to help granddaughter with rare genetic disease

He is a well known celebrity in the Detroit area. Many people see a strong and confident newscaster but many do not know the fight he is waging against a sinister disease. Stephen Clark has become a spokesperson for a rare genetic disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA. Clark did not plan on this…

Sam’s tragic loss of his daughter to heroine overdose

Most people on Valentine’s Day are making phone calls to make a reservation to a restaurant or to buy some flowers, no one wants to be calling an ambulance because their daughter is lying lifeless on the floor. This is how this week’s Health Hero had to spend February 14th in 2011, On that sad…

The Crawley’s teaching their kids to be happy in their own skin

Sheri and Corey Crawley came back to Detroit to be closer to her family.  They came back with their two young daughters Laila and Aliya.  It was a big move but they were up to the challenge.  In the fall of 2010, their oldest daughter started kindergarten and as the months went by, she started…

Jo living with and being an advocate for Alopecia Universalas

Imagine being a child and losing your hair. Not just a few strands of hair but patches. Now imagine, losing your hair as a child and because of it, you cannot participate in certain activities because of the hair loss or the fear of having your hair piece fall off or be pulled off. This…

Gun shot wound leaves Eric with spinal cord injury and new purpose

He is inspirational! He is powerful! He is spiritual and he is this week’s Health Hero. This is Eric Thomas and this is his story. Eric has been musically inclined all his life. From an early age, he enjoyed singing, musicals and reading. Eric kept up his musical interest and started a band. They recorded…

Andrea once a rape victim now uses her tragedy to fuel her passion

What do you think of when you hear “She is a tough! She is a fighter!” Would you think of a 4 foot 11 inch woman in Texas? Well, this week’s Health Hero is a fighter! She is power and her name is Andrea Calhoun. Andrea is a trainer at a gym in Killeen Texas…

Child sexual abuse led Erin to become a Voice for the Voiceless

She is passionate, a fighter, inspirational and Erin Merryn is our latest Dr. Nandi Health Hero . Erin has made it her mission in life to give children a voice and to make sure that sex offenders are put out of business. She was raped just a few weeks before her 7th birthday and the…

A kayaking trip ended in a beautiful near death experience

Dr. Mary Neal is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and she is also a Dr. Nandi Health Hero. What makes Dr. Neal the Health Hero is not what she does with her practice but it is her experience of life and death and what it has taught her about living. Dr. Neal is an avid kayaker…

An “energy” experience with a dying Aunt helped shaped who she is today

Elaine Grohman is a friend to the Ask Dr. Nandi show and she is also a certified Healing Touch Practitioner. Elaine is also our latest Health Hero. Elaine Grohman has always felt and seen energy her whole life and she always felt that this is something that the whole world does as well. When she…

She shaved her head to spread awareness for childhood cancer

How many times have you heard someone say “I would do it but…….” or “I don’t have the time to get involved”? This week’s Health Hero not only had the time, she had the hair! Cheyenne Gagnon is a true hero because she knows that she can make a difference with her time and her…
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