Besides the lazy, hazy feeling summer brings, my favorite memories of the season are the fresh tomatoes Mother Nature brings-they add so much flavor and color. But now, alas, as summer is winding down, so will the fresh tomatoes. Food is poetry for the body, and poetry is food for the soul. My ode to the fresh tomatoes in summer is inspired by the luscious, fresh tomatoes–sheer poetry at your table- that appear every summer.

Interview with Stacy Chillemi

Stacey Chillemi is an entrepreneur, author, life coach, and speaker, who advocates for a healthy way of living despite her personal struggles with epilepsy.  At the age of 5, she suffered from a grand mal seizure, and she was rushed to the hospital. At the hospital, she was medically induced into a coma, and her parents were warned that Stacy might wake up with brain damage or be a quadriplegic for the rest of her life. However, Stacey woke up with no brain damage and was not a quadriplegic, but she did develop epilepsy. She struggled with the condition on and off for the years following the diagnosis, but the severe and frequent seizures didn’t reach their peak until after she reached puberty. When Stacy was in college, she had really gotten to her breaking point, where seizures were frequent due to the stress of late-night study sessions. In an attempt to get help, she wrote an article for the “epilepsy Foundation” asking them to publish her article so she can find out how people cope with epilepsy around the world. She received hundreds of letters with tips on how other people manage them. She took those tips and created her own regimen, and she felt like she had more control. She published her first book, “The Complete Herbal Guide” in 2007, then “Epilepsy You’re Not Alone.” Stacey Chillemi’s most recent book being released this year, called, “Empower Yourself: Don’t let your Conditions Empower You.” Since publishing her literary works, she has learned about the power of words, when she received an email from a girl who found her book in a Barnes and Noble, who said that her book saved her from committing suicide. Miss. Chillemi sees the importance of her work as she continues to bring awareness to epilepsy and living a fully functioning life with the condition.

Keep up with Stacey on her website: https://staceychillemi.com.

Be sure to pick up Stacey’s newest book, “Empower Yourself: Don’t let your Conditions Empower You,” which can be found on Amazon, Kindle, and wherever books are sold!