In January of 2006 Anne and her family moved in down the block from where Maura was living, and the two met that first day. The move was necessary because Anne was living with symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis and her family needed a ranch style house so she wouldn't have to negotiate stairs. At that time, Anne wore thick glasses, used a cane and was unable to drive due to optic neuritis - a common symptom of Multiple Sclerosis. She had difficulties with her speech, balance, memory and cognitive abilities. "I'm a little slow on the uptake" she would say, which must have been frustrating for an intelligent attorney. (She was unable to practice.) Attacks or episodes could keep her in bed for 3 days at a time. Sharp, "knife-like" pains stabbed her head, the left side of her body tremored and frequently did not respond. Her emotions ran high - she cried several times a day - while her energy levels were terribly low, needing 3 or 4 naps a day and often going to bed at 7:00 PM. Daily she took 8 types of medication for the symptoms. When she was at her worst she needed to use a walker and couldn't understand or partake in a normal conversation. She learned to walk and talk again at the same time her baby, Patrick, did. Anne was in the deep, dark throws of a chronic, “incurable” disease.

Maura was a yoga teacher who also practiced an energy "massage" technique called Reiki. She had a yoga therapy book which had a specific practice for MS and offered to help Anne with the series. One yoga posture was an inversion in which Anne's upper body was upside-down for a bit. When she came back up the knives were stabbing her head. Maura thought, "OH NO! I'VE BROKEN HER!" and began to give Reiki to her head. Anne felt the energy immediately and her pain began to subside. Something worked! This was the beginning of what turned out to be a miraculous trip for both women. Over the next 2 years, Anne changed her diet, started to exercise, and continued to practice yoga and Reiki - all of which helped her get back in touch with her body. With her innate determinism, she worked with a nurse practitioner who acted as a liaison among therapists, pharmacists and doctors to get the right combination of drugs and therapies. Perhaps most importantly, Anne began to do some inner exploration. What she recognized was that she had beliefs and patterns of thought which could be summed up by the phrase, "I'm not good enough". Changing the way she thought began to literally change her mind - and she began to heal.

Today she is symptom free, medication free, working and driving, and is training for her black belt in Muay Thai Kickboxing. How she arrived here is the compilation of methods she and Maura call Hopeology. It is a blend of Western knowledge and Eastern wisdom, of science and spirituality. Anne and Maura are optimistic that these techniques which resulted in Anne’s healing can awaken your own healing mechanisms.