I'll be shaving my head for Childhood Cancer Research on September 22nd, 2017.

Dear friends and family, I'm shaving my head on September 22nd, 2017 to raise money for childhood cancer research! 

Did you know that kids' cancers are different from adult cancers? It's true. And childhood cancer research is extremely underfunded.

So I decided to do something about it by raising money for cures. Now I need your help! Will you make a donation? 

Every dollar makes a difference for the thousands of infants, children, teens, and young adults fighting childhood cancers.

As a cancer survivor myself, I know how tough the cancer journey can be. 

As someone who lives with a chronic illness, I can understand the emotional and financial challenges faced by Hannah and her family, and so many others, as they tackle cancer together. 

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Please help to support my shave.

I will be going live on YouTube that day to broadcast my shave worldwide.

Kids with cancer urgently need your help. Thanks in advance for your generous support at

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/933092/2017

If you would like to be a part of a head-shaving event, you can sign up here: https://www.stbaldricks.org/be-a-shavee/

Yours truly, Gina

Chronic illness and baby steps

There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Original Art by Gina Welds Hulse

When I was first diagnosed with lupus, and I realized just how severe my symptoms were and how serious the illness was, I honestly thought my life was over.

Recently I have been spending a lot of time with my granddaughter and it was revealed to me just how my chronic illness life is much like her growth over the last few months.  She started walking  at 10 months old, taking little baby steps, until she is now running all over the place.  My ability to move forward with my own life, and to take my life back was much like taking those baby steps.  One of the first steps that I took was to go back to my roots......no, not where I came from......well in a sense it was.  I decided to start researching those backyard medicines that I had grown up on and started taking some of them again.  I had had some very serious reactions to some of the medicines that I had been taking and was determined to make a switch to some more natural remedies.

Since then I have been certified as an herbalist and an aromatherapy consultant, and my days are better for the most part.

I do have those challenging days, but I manage to get through.  ON those days that I need to rest, I do just that....REST.

I take baby steps a lot because I have days where it seems that I go back to square one and I have to start all over again......and that's ok.  My baby steps may look different that yours do.  Some days I am more overwhelmed than on other days, but with baby steps I make it.

Recently I have had to stop exercising due to POTS.  It has been a real challenge, since I am a Black Belt and martial arts is part of my life, not just something I like to do.  I am currently looking into taking Tai Chi to help with the POTS issue.  Baby steps.....something slow moving.

Many people admire me for everything that I have been able to accomplish due to chronic illness, but many of them do not see the baby steps that I have to take to accomplish my goals.  I have had to change my goal deadlines many times....but I refuse to give up.


Reminder to self:  Remember that a little progress each day adds up to big results.

Fingers locking up a lot lately. Is it part of Dysautonomia?

I was diagnosed with dysautonomia a few weeks ago....POTS to be more specific.  Recently it seems that my joints seem to lock up a lot on my fingers.  I have had it happen to my toes periodically and it is very painful during the time they are locked.  After some crying, they tend to release on their own.  I decided to take a video of my fingers on one occasion, to have a record of what happens when they lock up.  It doesn't happen to all of them, but when it happens, they hurt.  Sometimes I have to pop them out, and sometimes they release on their own.

Is this POTS related or something else?  I'd appreciate any information.

In doing some research I read about something called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and I will speak to my doctor when I see her in a few days.  These episodes are just very annoying, and often painful, also.

Empowered by chronic illness...NOT overpowered.

Be empowered.

Original art by Gina Welds Hulse

Recently I was diagnosed with POTS.  The likelihood of this diagnosis came up when I was taken to the ER because my heart was doing some crazy things.  That is not unusual.  I am being monitored by an implantable device.  It was a round of questions that had me puzzled, but when I saw my diagnosis, it all made sense.  Another trip to my cardiologist was needed for an update.
You can listen to my personal experience with the cardiac implant here:

However, POTS is not my only diagnosis.  I was diagnosed with lupus, COPD, pernicious anemia and a host of others before POTS came along.  I share with you my story to inspire any suffers out there that endurance, courage and bravery are the key to living a healthy, inspiring life with chronic illness, even POTS.  I have shared some key qualities and things that I do to make my life with chronic illness easier.

Here is my lupus/chronic illness story:

At the time of writing this, I have been up for several hours already....created some material for a new video, gave my granddaughter a bath, washed a load of laundry, fixed breakfast for my granddaughter.  My youngest son is still asleep.  I function well early in the morning, as my energy tends to wane around 2 or so in the afternoon.


Since my diagnoses I have faced many challenges. I had to quit my job almost 3 years ago, when I got really ill from lupus complications.  I used that time to research holistic ways of healing, and shortly after became a certified herbalist.

Don't get me wrong...I have some challenging days still.  Just when I feel like I am doing so well, something comes along and sweeps me off my feet, and not in a good way.  There are days that I cannot walk.  Some days I feel like I can run a marathon.  I have not been able to train in the martial arts for some time, but recently decided to try Tai Chi, as I know it has lots of benefits for those with POTS and other chronic illnesses.

I have also started a new garden, one that I hope to feed me regularly.  I have already started to harvested beans and other items, and this is a very therapeutic activity.  Of course, with dysautonomia, the sun can be an issue so I do 99% of the gardening before 7 a.m. and after the sun has gone down.

As an artist, painting can also be a challenge, but I press on.  Take a look at what I was able to achieve earlier this year.


Whatever battles you are facing and no matter how hard it all feels, please remember there is new life to be found and new happiness to be made. With some endurance, courage and bravery you can get through these challenges of chronic illness and live a life you are proud of.

Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.

Original art by Gina Welds Hulse

"I will life my eyes"

Truth be told, I have really struggled over the last few days to find the good in the bad.  It seems that I have only experienced continuous pain on daily basis.  I wake up in pain.  My joints in my fingers hurt so bad.  They lock in place when I close my fist. My knees seem to scrape against bone when I bend and try to get up.  My jaws lock in place.  My spine hurts when I bend or try to straighten up. Pain is everywhere.  

I try not to complain, but lately it has become increasingly hard to maintain a positive outlook.  I know I must so I continue to push on.

So what good could possibly come out of this continuous pain that I feel lately.

Let's see...

I acknowledge the pain.  I know that the fact that I feel pain means that i am still alive, and that is a very good thing.  
When I was diagnosed with lupus 5 years ago (that seems like an eternity ago, although I know some of you have had it for much longer)....anyway...when I was diagnosed with lupus, I too this opportunity to do some research, lots of research.  I was determined that I was going to heal my body.  This has been a continuous journey.  You can read more about that here and here.  The pain that I feel on a daily basis continuous to inspire me to learn more and more about healing my body.  I became a certified herbalist because of the pain that I felt.  Had I not been diagnosed, I would not have been a seeker of knowledge like I am today, even though I consider myself to be a lifelong learner.

So much good can happen in a single day, no matter how bad the day might feel,. The painful days can come with good things inside of them, so don't discount them. The moments in which you feel like giving up can be the moments that bring you much insight into the world, the human condition, and hopefully bring you to arrive at the avenue of hope. 

Some days I don't have the energy to write or to paint, but these remain my inspiration. I know that there is a purpose to my pain and that if I only keep going that someone will benefit from the story that will be told from all the pain that I endure.

Joy will always come in the morning, no matter what my night ends like.

How deep are your roots planted: Lessons from a tree

“Nature is man’s teacher. She unfolds her treasures to his search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence.” ~Alfred Billings Street

Over the last few months I've had some of the greatest challenges when it comes to my health.  I was recently diagnosed with POTS/Dysautonomia.  I also live with a few other chronic illnesses including lupus.

Living with multiple chronic illnesses, with multiple doctors,  along with other things happening in my life it would be easy for my confidence and my faith to be shaken.

However, I know who my God is and what He is capable of doing, and my faith will remain in Him.

One of my favorite things to do when I wake up each morning is to go into my garden.  I love being among nature.  Maybe it's because it brings me closer to its creator.  There are many lessons that I have learned just from being among the flowers, trees and vegetables and numerous other plants that exist in my garden alone.

While I cannot see the good in the things that have happened I know that God is at work and that someday I will look back at this time in my life and see what God has done. I have made a conscious decision to focus on the positive not to dwell on the negative and to trust in God alone.  Being among nature helps to reinforce that message.

Recently I sat down and wrote an article about lessons that I learned from trees.  One of those lessons is to keep my roots firmly planted. 

What are your roots planted in when it comes to hope in the struggles life gives you.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream, It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green, it has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7,8).

I want my faith, my roots, to be so grounded in Him that when these  difficult times come my confidence in my God cannot be shaken. I may not feel like anything good could possibly come from the situation, but I know that God can and will use it to “bear fruit.”

Lessons from a Tree

Inspired by the Majestic Sunflower

Photography by Gina Welds Hulse

One of my favorite flowers to plant each year is the sunflower. I remember growing the Russian Mammoth a couple of years ago.
When they reached maximum height, they topped out at over 8 feet tall. I would get up early each morning and watch them as they greeted the sun. They all faced east as if in worship, as the sun rose above the horizon. As the day progressed, the sunflowers followed the path of the sun, resting in the west before returning to the eastward facing by sunrise.

I planted them again this year, together with another variety called red velvet. I realize just how much that simple sunflower can teach us about living.

First, sunflowers teach us that dreams start small. Russian mammoths start from a tiny seed, just like other plants or trees, like the oak.

Sunflowers remind us that we should not be afraid to let ourselves be beautiful. 

The sunflower does not shy away from showing off its colors, its tall stalk and gracefulness.

Inside that tiny seed is beauty that is just yearning to come out, much like the beauty and the potential inside each of us.

The sunflower, also reminds us to always face the sun, so that the shadows of life will be cast behind us.
The sunflower also reminds us to dream big. The seed head of the Russian Mammoth measures almost 8 inches across (at least the ones that I grew). That's just the seed head. 

In order for the stalk to maintain that size of a flower, it must stick its neck out. We should not be afraid to stick our necks out and dream big. Sunflowers really know how to do this, and we could learn from this.

Sunflowers stay unified in purpose and position because of their focus.

Sunflowers are able to sustain themselves through seasons of drought because their roots are deep and extensive.  Because of a Taproot system that spreads out in the depth of the soil, they’re able to get water from deep sources. 

Sunflowers teach us to not complain about conditions. Dry earth? Dig in a little harder. A deserted garden? You never know who will visit some time. Lack of fertilizer? Look within yourself, engage your inner strength and resources.

Isn't it amazing that we can learn so much from a simple flower like the sunflower?

Original art by Gina Welds Hulse

Invasion of the Momordica charantia....I mean cerasee, and the benefits of this bittersweet medicinal weed.

A while back I had this healing vine growing along my fence. My neighbor thought that it was just a weed, and I witnessed her using Round-up on it. Of course, within days it was completely dead. I explained to her that it was actually medicine and that if she saw it again, to not destroy the plant. She apologized, and understood.

This vine is called cerasee. They are growing with a vengeance in my yard again, producing lots of fruit, also. My youngest son and I both love the fruit.

At first glance it looks like a weed, but cerasee is no regular weed.

This weed is chock-full of medicinal benefits, and deserves some respect.

Check out these videos below for more information......