Why a Wellness Center?
A NIGHTMARE FADES, A DREAM COMES TRUE IN PHASES
Many people have asked how Elk Haven came to be. There are a few possible answers to that question, including Bruce's vision and amazing energy for refurbishing a sadly dilapidated space, the financial synergies of putting two family businesses under one roof with one of them already being well-established, and the close proximity of the Elks Lodge to our home so that it felt like an "old friend" that needed our attention. But the truest answer, at least to why the business that we put here is a wellness center, is that it fulfilled a dream for Belinda that had been quietly waiting for a time and a way to get from daydream to daylight.
Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Disease and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus— these hard-hitting diagnoses came when Belinda had one child-- a two-year old--and NO desire to leave him motherless. So, highly motivated to find answers (in a pre-internet world!), Belinda began to search for any and all viable alternatives to a year of chemotherapy, some amount of radiation and lots of prednisone. Diet, supplements, herbs, self-care rituals, homeopathics--many things of which she had previously been completely unaware— quickly became extremely interesting and important. (And they are no less so today from Belinda's point of view.)
A few months into her search, the macrobiotic diet was Belinda’s introduction to yin and yang and all the basic theories that undergird Chinese medicine. It was a critical part of her recovery and slowly began to influence the way she saw everything, not just diet, although that was her chief focus for quite a while. There was so much to learn!
Fast forward now to 2008, twenty years later. No recurrences or major health issues and with three children added to the brood, life is good—- and busy! Seems like a great time to go back to school, right? What was she thinking?! But the opportunity to go to Chinese medical school knocked, and Belinda threw open the door.
A few years later, she graduated from Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine. Studying for the 3 national board exams was stressful and time-consuming, but at the end, the dream to be a licensed practitioner was realized. Around the time of graduation, Bruce and Belinda made an offer on the nearby building that had been home to the Brevard Elks Club. And, proceeding step by step, the materialization of her dream ultimately included a beautiful wellness center just a short stroll from her Brevard home. Can a dream come any truer?
As someone who recovered from late-stage cancer and an auto-immune disease with holistic therapies, Belinda has a passion for helping others find healing and transformation in the least invasive, most life-affirming ways possible. That is her goal when she shows up each day at 100 Elks Club Road and that is why 100 ELks Club Road was destined to become a wellness center.