Additional Links
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1/ University of Portsmouth
2/ Life As a Zebra Foundation
Mel Gurry
I am truly grateful to have CHristie in my life! She is the first hEDS person I’ve met who is working on her fascia and speaking about her progress. I was feeling alone in this difficult restructuring of my whole body with no one else having gone through it. We have become friends and are now sharing our process - the gains, the complexity of regaining strength and living in a whole new body at the age of 53. I listened every day to see how’s she’s doing, what’s she’s learned, who’s she’s interviewed and because she is hysterical 😠through all the tears, pains and gains! Listen to the determination and strong will to overcome, the ability to work through pain and learn with her all the wisdom she shares. CHristie is amazing and will tell you how to follow in her footsteps each and every day!
K.C. Wallis
I've got to say AWOL Zebra has made my life so much better, I feel normal, understood, and most of all I'm part of a community. Having CHristie on the podcast talking about her life gives me purpose to move forward. AWOL Zebra is my family I would be lost without you.
Neely Gibbons
What AWOL Zebra means to me: I do not suffer with hEDS, but in the past few years my body has experienced a relentless assault on itself with little to no help as to why from the medical community. In 2019, I noticed some swelling in my left leg and then it began to jump to my right leg, at this time I was put on a water pill to relieve fluid (not much relief). November of 2023 both of my legs were swelling and running up my leg. My primary care physician was out of town and the attending I saw sent me for an echo to see if my heart was functioning properly. I arrived the following day to have an ultra sound of my heart done and was turned away at the door for the test indicating the problem looked like my heart valve was not opening and closing properly and they would refer me to a cardiologist. My spirit was broken and I was scared that something was seriously wrong and it may require surgery. In the meantime I was put on Lasik’s two daily and told to hold out until my appointment in January. In December I had a visit with my actual primary care doctor and he took one look at me and said your lymphatic system is shutting down, agreed to follow through with cardiologist to rule out any damage, but indicated he would be shocked if I truly had an issue with my heart valve. Cardiologist cleared my heart issue immediately in January and agreed that my lymphatic system was shutting down, I had to directly ask him if he thought that was the issue and he agreed and told me to continue taking the Lasik’s and follow up with a PA in six months (for what were my exact thoughts, my insurance billing)? Lasik’s were of no help to my inflammation, so I discontinued use as I didn’t see the benefit of taking a medication that was not helping my cause. At this time I am riddled with inflammation throughout my entire body and my feet were in true crisis mode, feeling trapped in your own body with no possible solution is an endless feeling of despair. Enter white knight CHristie Lynn Hanchey: CHristie and I began to discuss fascia blasting and the benefit of resolving toxins and eliminating sticky fascia, she offered every resource available to me and suggested I see a chiropractor that specializes in counter strain and fascia work. CHristie gave me exercises and methods to work on in my own home that stretched my body and promoted movement, together we discovered the benefit of clean eating and consistent self-care and commitment to working on your fascia as a daily goal in short intervals to improve my health and wellness. CHristie’s extensive knowledge on fascia tools and how they are applied to help your body is spot on and I trust her methods completely. The chiropractor that I saw was a wealth of knowledge and good information , he challenged me to eliminate the things in my diet that were contributing to my severe pain and inflammation dairy, wheat, and the most important was the oils I was using to cook with were creating an immediate response to inflammation. It opened my eyes to reading labels for oils and wheat, I was use to just looking at carbs like a diabetic would. By following CHristie’s guide to my movement and even sharing recipes with me and food items that were safer options, I dropped inches from my ankles and my waist line in a week of following this guide I lost 3 cm in a week. Once you have CHristie advocating for your health and wellness she is relentless in the fight for others with tips, tricks, strategies and a true care plan that will show results. My faith in CHristie is that she has walked this similar path in her own life and throughout her journey and what the illness has taken away from her she stays steadfast in her service to others, I truly believe CHristie was called to this position to help educate and inform others to be the healthiest version of yourself you can be.
Cassandra A Campbell
Chronic Warriors Academy
After listening to the AWOL Zebra podcast, I just knew I had to contact CHristie because her story is so inspirational and I identified with a lot of what she said. Ever since then, we've become international EDS Sisters. We cheer each other up on the crappy days, she helps me understand fascia stuff and I help her with mindset and self care stuff. A perfect Sisterhood.

"No other disease in the history of modern medicine, has been neglected in such a way as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome."
Rodney Grahame CBE, MD, FRCP, FACP, FRSA
Professor of Rheumatology