Born and raised in Manheim, PA Lancaster County I managed to make the most of every experience even as a farm girl.  I’ve never been idle: playing boys intermural soccer, Girl Scouts, church groups & clubs, Chansodie (select vocal ensemble), Cologuard, and of course any kind of performing I could find.  I was always trying to make a difference, serving on any focus group, hiring panel, or chairing any committee that needed funds raised or attention put on its worthy cause.

The first person in my family to attend college, I went early decision to Gettysburg College to study Civil War history though as usual, life had other plans.  I majored in Theatre Arts and Business Management while recolonizing the TriSigma sorority on campus, serving on the Exec Board for the Theatre program, earning Presidential Honors for 4 years and graduating summa cum laude.  My only regret during this time is that I didn’t use the opportunity to study abroad but during this era, all my non college time was focused on growing my presence at the Renaissance Faire.

My two favorite things in the world are entertaining and travel.  I want to sing and perform for you, have you laughing with my jokes and make your heart warmer from our interaction.  I want to cook for you, fill your belly and soul with good feelings and enjoy your conversation and stories as we indulge.  I want to see the world and understand better other cultures, histories, and culinary delights.  Those are the things that bring me the greatest fulfilment in the world.

In my mid-20’s a friend said to me, “you’re living 3 people’s lives” and I think that might be the most accurate description of my experience for the past 42 years.  I have been blessed to spend 10+ years in nonprofit event planning and fundraising with the American Cancer Society, Ephrata Performing Arts Center, Cardiovascular Institute of Philadelphia and TMA of Chester County, raising millions for these important causes and meeting amazingly dedicated volunteers and survivors along the way.  I have worked for the federal government making an impact on the safety of our nation and traveling officially with my diplomatic passport. I spent 2 years diving headfirst into fulltime acting as a stuntwoman, performer, and dabbled in film.

In 2012 I started Dashing Rogue, taking my love for food and craft beer into people’s homes all with the goal of someday opening my own restaurant.  Not the gastropub I envisioned, but still a project from the heart, Tommy Brower and I opened Bright Spot Café in 2018, its name and décor embodying being the Bright Spot of people’s day from the beginning. Since then we’ve brought our Lancaster County farm-to-table foods of my childhood, my love of entertaining and making people feel special, and our passion for filling bellies to countless families in PA and Sea Isle City, NJ.

My driving passion for the longest season of my life has been the Renaissance Faire and its community, culture of welcoming, and ability to spread joy to countless people of all ages and backgrounds.  It’s no secret that my biggest life goal from the age of 6 has been to be Queen Elizabeth I at PARF, a goal that I have made peace with remaining unfulfilled, but one thing from this experience is that perhaps I have become queen of many people’s hearts and that alone is a greater honor than I could ever imagine.

NOVEMBER 2025 UPDATE:
I try to update these when new information becomes available and let me tell you – the past 4 weeks have been full of new twists and turns.

Mid-September the head nurse from Pulmonary Rehab pulled me aside to ask how I felt I was doing. The truth is that this round of pulmonary rehab has been much less effective than my first 36 sessions, so much so that I am getting worse even though I’m working out and being monitored three times per week. She was also painfully aware, which is why she asked. She asked if I’d like a second opinion which is something I never considered. She referred me to a trusted Pulmonologist and even called me on speaker with their office manager expressing the importance of getting me in quickly. We scheduled to see him within 48 hours and even though he’s Tier 2 in my insurance, he’s worth every penny.

He told me frankly that I am too young to be THIS sick and he’s determined to do something about it. He ordered an extreme battery of blood tests and referred me to a new Rheumatologist who is renowned, he’s even written 3 books on it! I now know that my doc called the rheumatologist and they talked at length about my case. The next morning at 8am I received a phone call and was seen the next morning.

Dr. Solloway blew my mind- he told me more about my disease within 3 minutes of walking in the room than I learned in the past year. I felt so SEEN that I wanted to cry. I listened and absorbed. He gave me 3 new meds, changed my existing meds, and sent me for further testing to provide optimum insight into what’s happening with my body.

Yesterday after 4 weeks, a barrage of tests and 42 vials of blood I met again with Dr. Visco the new pulmonologist, and the revelations were so helpful! My most recent chest CT showed ILD, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Bronchiectasis and several calcified granulomata which are clumps of tissue that my body creates to prevent the disease from spreading. My blood work confirmed the severity of my Scleroderma and showed several indicators for Sjogren’s which aligns with my symptoms of: dry eyes, dry mouth, numbness/burning in my hands and feet, and joint inflammation.

In summary the doctor said, “your case is complicated.” I asked him to elaborate because I am passed the point where I act like I understand fully if I do not. I can only advocate for myself if I understand my situation. “You look reasonably healthy and you’re obviously happy, but your disease is quite severe and the factors contributing to it are many, which makes treating it quite complicated.”

I still have a new cardiologist and gastroenterologist to meet who will provide a more complete picture of my body, because with Scleroderma the two things that typically kill you are your lungs and your heart. My team is very concerned about my heart and wants a thorough inspection. The GI doc is because acid reflux is also a side effect of Scleroderma which can do significant damage to my lungs. I have reduced my incidents of acid reflux lately but it’s still a present painful problem when it flares.

Tomorrow, November 18, 2025 I begin my Truxima infusions. It will be a long day – 3 hours of driving and 6 hours of infusion, but I’m very optimistic that it will provide relief from the constant inflammation that I feel. The mucous in my lungs has changed consistency so that my cough sounds much more concerning and once I start, I HAVE to cough it up and spit because it’s so thick if I try to stop, I just suffocate. In good news, this has been immensely effective at reducing overall bronchiectasis and has improved the breath sounds of my lungs for the first time since August 2024. My pulmonary rehab team was FLOORED and so excited for me.

As we enter the holiday season, I am thankful for my new team with curious minds who have given me hope that I can get better before things get worse. If I am even able to reduce my oxygen dependency enough that I can walk comfortably again instead of relying on the wheelchair, it would be a huge victory!

Mom and I live in a campground in NJ, so in the off season we must seek out alternative accommodation. We are currently staying at my aunt’s in Middletown, DE with beautiful river views and are heading to Florida January – March to escape the painful cold of northeast winters. Major thanks to the friends who have agreed to house a handicap and her caregiver. I’ll be coming back north at intervals to continue my infusions.

Thank you everyone for following along, your support, kind words, thoughtful gestures and for all of the work we have done on annihilating my bucket list! I am such a fulfilled woman who spends every day feeling very blessed. Wishing you all a peaceful close out of 2025.

PERSONAL STATEMENT:

I know this may be hard to believe, but this is the best thing that could have happened with where I was in my life.  I was literally working myself to death, took no time for myself, my hobbies, passions, or friends, and wasn’t finding joy in much of anything.  This experience has FORCED me to slow down, pay attention, and appreciate absolutely everything.

I am beyond blessed with the endless generosity of spirit my friends from every season of my life have shown me.  I am lucky to have the opportunity to take some time and try to knock some things off my bucket list while I am able to still get out and about.  My spirit is light, it is actually a prescription for me to avoid stress and cold because both are a hinderance to my breathing, so I have been focused on rising above any of the negativity that had plagued me.  The peace that this mindset has brought me and the constant feeling of being PRESENT in my own life and appreciating absolutely every moment is such a beautiful gift.

I want to stress that right now- I AM IN NO PAIN!  I have severe discomfort, extreme shortness of breath, major muscle fatigue.  I’m beginning to see side effects from all of my medicines like rashes all over my body and skin peeling.  But right now, I am blessed to be able to modify my life so that I can still live it pain free- it just requires extra planning and adaptation.