For ten years, Sharissa Bradley lived a life that many struggling with chronic illness only dream of. Diagnosed with four autoimmune diseases in 2015 at the age of 27, she spent a decade carefully rebuilding her energy, healing her body’s tissues, and learning how to live an abundant life. For the most part, she was nearly symptom-free, experiencing only occasional mild muscle pain or fleeting brain fog. But as she reveals in the latest episode of the Tea Time Podcast, a recent cross-country adventure tested her body’s limits and triggered a severe, unexpected autoimmune relapse.
The Nevada to Maine Marathon The journey began as an act of friendship. Sharissa set out to help some close friends move their entire lives from Nevada to Maine, spanning a distance of over 3,000 miles. This was no leisurely vacation; it was a grueling, high-demand logistical operation. Over the course of eight days, Sharissa and her travel companions pushed through an intense schedule: six days of driving for 14 hours a day, one day of unpacking a house, and a final day flying back home to get back to her family.
To make the journey even more challenging, the convoy consisted of three different drivers operating three separate vehicles, requiring them to constantly navigate unfamiliar terrains, coordinate distances, and stay grouped across 19 different states. Inside Sharissa’s car was her child and four animals. Driving 600 to 650 miles every single day meant waking up in a different state each night. While she was honored to help her friends, the physical toll of the road was accumulating in ways she didn’t fully anticipate.
The Aftermath: A Body in Revolt The true challenge began when Sharissa finally returned home. Her autoimmune system, which had remained relatively quiet for a decade, flared up aggressively. Almost immediately, she was hit with a gnarly two-and-a-half to three-week full symptom relapse that completely disrupted her daily life.
For days, her body was racked with severe symptoms. She experienced fevers almost every single day for a week, excruciating muscle spasms, deep digestion pain, and a relentless 22-day stretch of daily headaches. Furthermore, she was plagued by nonstop insomnia, preventing her body from getting the critical rest it needed to repair.
This physical crash quickly triggered a mental health battle. Anyone who has suffered from chronic illness understands the psychological horror of a relapse. When you are in the thick of severe pain, it is easy to fall into despair. Sharissa describes the terrifying mental loop of wondering, “Is this going to be forever? Am I going to feel like this forever?” The fear of permanently losing the hard-won health she had enjoyed for ten years was a massive burden to carry.
Grief Commingled with Physical Toll The healing process was further complicated by a devastating personal tragedy. Just two days after arriving back home, Sharissa lost her grandmother, the matriarch of her family. Sitting with heavy grief while simultaneously managing excruciating physical pain created a complex web of stress. As Sharissa notes, she cannot attribute the relapse entirely to the grueling 3,000-mile drive; the physical strain of the car ride was deeply commingled with the emotional toll of losing a loved one.
The Road to Recovery and the Power of Grace For the past five weeks, Sharissa has had to step back and apply her own advice. To dig herself out of this physical hole, she turned back to her own book, Journey Back to Health, treating herself with the very strategies she has shared with her audience. This recovery has required a radical focus on getting high-quality sleep, feeding her body nutrient-dense foods, and stepping back from daily obligations to allow her tissues to heal.
Through patience and strict self-care, Sharissa’s energy has recovered enough for her to find her voice again and return to her podcast platform. She is channelizing this intense experience into a brand-new 11-episode miniseries. Her goal is to openly share the messy reality of the aftermath, the mental hurdles of healing, and practical advice on how others can prepare.
If you have an autoimmune disease and are planning a major move or trip, Sharissa hopes her story serves as a vital reminder to build in more buffers, grant yourself endless grace, and plan with your health as the highest priority.
