“Seeking guidance and support—while listening to what my own body truly needs.”
Hi, I’m Michelle. I’m 73, and I live with severe osteoarthritis in my left hip, persistent neck pain, and a body that no longer moves the way it once did.
For a while it seemed I had only two doors: accept decline, or have surgery. I wasn’t ready to believe those were the only two. So I went looking—not for a miracle, but for anything that might help me feel a little more at home in my body.
With the help of AI, I gathered a virtual care team—physical therapists, pain specialists, naturopaths, massage and occupational therapists, mental-health professionals, even surgeons—and asked them the questions there’s never time for in a fifteen-minute appointment. What came out of it wasn’t a cure. It was something I could actually use: hundreds of small, gentle practices, organized into thirteen portals built for the hard days as much as the good ones.
Here is what surprised me most: these practices matter whether I choose surgery or not. Whether the pain eases or it doesn’t. They aren’t instead of my doctors, my PT, or my medicine—they work alongside all of it. They’re how I care for myself either way.
I still have hard days—frustration, embarrassment, a deep, bone-level tiredness. I’m learning to meet those days with compassion instead of judgment. That, I’ve discovered, is part of the practice too.
I built Beyond Relief for myself. I’m sharing it because I know I’m not the only one. If you’re living with pain, uncertainty, or change—you are not alone. Walk with me.