Allison Toepperwein Creator/Blogger/Motivational Speaker, Lit Within | Houston, Texas   Contact Me

Biography

New Year's Eve of 2014, a gun shot went off next to my ears and all I (Allison Toepperwein) could hear was ringing. In the last 5 months of 2014, I separated and divorced my husband of 7 1/2 years, sold my home, moved with my preschool aged daughter back home, and then on the last day of the year, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. At 8pm that night, I put my daughter, myself and the year 2014 to bed. On January 1, 2015 I arose with the sun, a new year and a new beginning. I planted my feet firmly on the ground and said, "this is not how my story will end." This is when I began to feel Lit Within. On January 4th, I began blogging (www.litwithinblog.com) about being a young-onset Parkinson's patient, but with a new found hope beaming inside. I was diagnosed. I was given a plan. And I had the opportunity to be at the forefront of a cure. A week after I began blogging, with the help of a web developer, we started a social media website (www.litwithin.com) free from negativity, hate and bullying associated with every other social media outlet. We all go through peaks and valleys through out life. My recent struggles are a divorce, raising a child as a single mom, all with a degenerative, neurological disease. While my struggles are probably far different from yours, struggles are struggles. Love and support can turn a life around. This site, I wish to be a respite, a safe house of sorts, for people to light others and be Lit Within. Exercise is the only thing proven to slow the progression of Parkinson's. I began exercising for my life, and found a vast improvement in symptoms. In 2016, I competed on NBC's American Ninja Warrior, as the first person to compete with Parkinson's. I began writing for the HuffPost, and am an Official Blogger for World Parkinson's Congress 2019. For 15 years I was in front of the camera as a TV reporter, anchor and host. My Parkinson's specialist prescribed me to begin motivational speaking. I turned Lit Within, Inc. into a 501c3 Non-profit dedicated to empowering women with diseases. I'm a two-time American Ninja Warrior, Motivational Speaker, avid Obstacle Course Racer and Author/Illustrator of a children's book.


Topics

Inspirational, motivational, Parkinson's, single-parenting, youth, faith, fitness, disease, health, divorce, self-love, overcoming obstacles


Videos

MY CAUSE

General and International

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Value to Sponsor

  • Blog Posts
Other Value:

Media interviews, art for auctions


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