What Drives You

I’ve always loved to drive. That passion started in my childhood on the farm—a place where the rules around driving were, let’s say, a bit more relaxed. I was behind the wheel of my grandfather’s GMC Sierra, Oliver tractor, and International (I think) log truck long before I had a permit. Whether I was cutting thistles in the field or helping during hay season, I found any excuse to drive.

That love never faded, and I’ve already owned more vehicles than my husband believes any one person needs in a lifetime (please pray for Jon…ha!). Last year I joined a car club called Avants, whose motto is “Drive Everything.” I couldn’t agree more! In my 52 years, I’ve driven everything from street bikes to semis pulling 64 feet of trailer—and I loved every minute.

My love for speed began with motorcycles, but it reached a whole new level last May when I was introduced to a PRO3 racer. After watching one of the races, he said to me, “You should get your racing license.” And, well…like I said, pray for my husband.

What followed was a whirlwind: attending the ProFormance Women Setting the Pace event in July; returning three weeks later to earn my Solo racing license; purchasing a track‑ready BMW 335i from that same PRO3 racer; buying a new trailer to haul the car; and starting plans to build a two‑bay shop at the house. The deal with my husband was simple—I could get the car if I agreed to work on it myself.

I spent time at the track in Kent, ran in an Autocross event in Shelton, and began learning to do repairs (alternator replacement, anyone?). When the season ended, my husband offered the gift of ProFormance’s two‑day Competition Race Licensing course for my birthday in March. It gave me something exciting to look forward to during the dreary PNW winter but, unfortunately, that excitement didn’t last long.

Early 2026 brought worsening stiffness and pain, more questions than answers, and the stress of not knowing what was happening to my body. My first appointment with the new doctor was January 2nd, but it wasn’t until May that things began to make sense. She suspected inflammation or an autoimmune issue and prescribed a six‑day steroid pack to test her theory. Thankfully, this lined up with the race licensing weekend in March, and the steroids reduced the stiffness enough for me to get in and out of the track cars. It was encouraging that my body responded to the medication, but also unsettling—we needed to understand what was causing that level of inflammation. Long‑term steroids aren’t healthy, and they’re not something I’m willing to rely on.

Two days after completing the course, the test results started coming in:

• Lyme disease: Negative

• Lupus: Negative

• EBV Antibody Profile: High, flagged

• C-Reactive Protein, Cardiac: High, flagged

• Glucose: High, flagged

• Anticardiolipin: High, flagged

We had done the first round of bloodwork in January, but the second round required a three‑month average, so we had to wait until March for the second round. With the results we saw, my doctor wasn’t comfortable signing a “Fit to Race” form—and that was the end of my racing hopes. I will say, though, it lasted longer than my soccer career, which ended about ten minutes into my first game—my boys cheering on the sidelines—when I tore my calf trying to pivot and launch at the same time. No joke.

There’s much more to share about the bloodwork and my appointments with the autoimmune specialist, but I’m curious about you. Have you felt compelled to begin your own testing journey? Are you getting answers? Or are you still in that stage where something feels “off,” but you understandably haven’t felt ready to enter the medical maze?

Wherever you are in your journey, you’re not alone.