I was born into a family of NYC Artists and grew up between there and rural Maine. In 1991 I moved to San Francisco to make movies but 1994 my immune system crashed from working at Mount Sutra Towers exposed to high doses of radiation. I had to drop all my creative projects and began seeing a slew of Doctors. A friend encouraged me to go see Acupuncture Master Robert Heyob to get better but because of my extreme fear of needles I resisted for 6 months until I felt I was actually dying.
In the first two minutes of meeting Robert Heyob, DOM,L.Ac. I decided that I wanted to be an Acupuncturist. He listened to me instead of just prescribing me antibiotics for all my infections and at the end of my treatment he told me that he was interested in my case.
It took a year before I had another acupuncture session all the while Robert began my training in Tai Chi (Yang Style short form), Traditional Chinese Medical Theory and Techniques (reading & practicing acupuncture needling oranges or bars of soap) while being treated with Chinese Medicinal Formulas.
Once I was doing better and able to receive acupuncture I began taking pre med classes at City College of San Francisco. He said it would be a very good idea to study to study Massage to get my hands on thousands of people and take their pulses and look at their tongues. In 1996 I went to the San Francisco School of Massage where I was taught by many gifted teachers. I worked in many Spas including Heaven and Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Salon both in San Francisco, CA and at the Tiburon Spa in Tiburon, CA.
In 1999 I received my BA in Art from the University of Southern Maine and by the fall of 2000 I had finished all the required pre med classes and I began my formal training at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I had many outstanding teachers during my training there. I also had the opportunity to video document two of my esteemed Professors: Dr. Murray Korngold (who lobbied to legalize psychology until 1958 and acupuncture until 1976 in CA) and Professor Stanley Leung. I also was tutor for Stanley Leung's TCM Theory course and Acupuncture Techniques 2 & 3. I also tutored for Daniel Jiao's herb classes and his formula classes. I always continued to train with Robert Heyob in his clinic during my time at ACTCM. I also worked in Dr. Li Fang Leung's fertility clinic while in school.
In 2005 I graduated from ACTCM and left San Francisco. My first clinic was out of the Black Butte Country Store and Campground in the Mendocino National Forest and I also did house calls by mule. In 2009 I moved to Cave Junction, OR where I was able to continue to ride my mule to work and began practicing there until 2015 when I started practicing exclusively at the Tiburon spa.
I did miss Oregon and the teachings of Grandma Aggie, The Voice of the Voiceless. In June of 2015 I was helping to support Grandmother Agnes Pilgrim Baker while she led her World Peace and Prayer ceremony I realized that I wanted to work near the healing hot spring waters of Ashland.
Robert and Val, his wife, also an acupuncturist, had married as teenagers after they met in the Marines. Val's death in 2015 found Robert grievously ill. I had the honor to care for him alongside Matthew Graham, L.Ac., my acupuncture brother, Robert's other mentee. Robert died in my arms in the beginning of 2016. Matthew maintain Robert's San Francisco practice Traditional Chinese Medicine. I am grateful to be able to consult with him on complex cases.
2016 summer while back in Maine treating my own father I taught a weekly 7 week Tai Qi class at the Eastport Art Center, Eastport Maine and it was a joy for me to hear Robert's words come rolling out of my mouth.
The Summer of 2017 I opened the Dancing Porcupine Acupuncture clinic at my home in Ashland, Oregon and hosted weekly community clinic and Tai Qi class until the Pandemic of March 2020. In 2018 I started to work at Southern Oregon Chiropractics in Ashland, Oregon A very busy clinic with Chiropractors, Massage Therapists and Acupuncturists. In 2019 my patient and teacher Grandma Aggie went to Star Nation at age 95. I felt happy in my heart that the year before we had almost lost her and she had recovered to visit 4 countries, traveled to NY to perform ceremony with the other members of The International Counsel of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, they traveled together to NYC on Houston and Elizabeth Streets to see a mural that was made of all 13 of them, she was the honored Trade Grand Marshal for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz parade & recognized her as living treasure, and the Southern Oregon University awarded her the President's Medal.
I left busy Southern Oregon Chiropractics when the pandemic started and began to practice at artist Lindy Kehoe's Dream Portal Gallery downtown Ashland, Oregon. I was better able to control the amount of patients I saw and was able to filter the air between patients. I felt very a happy and safe working in this sacred space that Lindy Kehoe had created.
September 8, 2020 the catastrophic Oregon fire that took N. Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, and S. Medford also took our home. My life was saved by a smile and a song. We lost everything except for our two mules, dog and each other. We've landed and in Nevada City to be close to my partner's family. The spring of 2022 my father was going to take the death with dignity drug as he was experiencing pain syndrome and unable to do the things in life he enjoyed. I drove out to the Bay of Fundy, Maine and began treating him daily and was able to redirect the trajectory of the disease process. It had been awhile since treating people but watching his progress reinforced my desire to share this powerful medicine. I am happy to report that for now he is doing well, making art and playing in his band.
August 2023 I have opened my practice at the Providence Mine Business Park in Nevada City and look forward towards treating this wonderfully diverse community.
I am so grateful for all my teachers for saving my life and giving me the tools to come out in front of illness. It is my passion to share these ancient healing art forms with my patients. It is with honor and respect for my teachers and the sincere desire to relieve suffering and to promote optimal health that I strive to treat each patient with understanding, compassion, and skill to enable them to transform into a healthier being and accomplish goals. My life was saved by Traditional Chinese Medicine and I feel so fortunate to have thrived to share this life force with my patients.
