The wife of England rugby star Tom Youngs has launched a new wellness range after beating cancer against all odds.
Tiffany Youngs, 34, is co-founder of Roots Wellness which looks at all aspects of health from products to aid digestion to helping sleep and skin care as well as boosting your immune system and combatting hair loss.
And it comes with one of the best endorsements ever – because many of the products were used by Mrs Youngs herself when she was very unwell, literally researched from her hospital bed. Mrs Youngs does not profess to be a trained nutritionist nor promise any magic, medical cures, but the website simply aims to pass on her knowledge and the products she found helped her.
Mrs Youngs was given the shock diagnosis that she had Hodgkins lymphoma six years ago and was given only a month to live by doctors in 2018. She refused to give up, researching alternative therapies and radically changed her diet. Incredibly, just six months later, she was given the news she was cancer free.
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Husband Tom, Leicester Tigers and England rugby star, who grew up near Aylsham, posted on social media his admiration for his wife on the business launch, saying on Instagram “he couldn’t be prouder” of her. “Well, she has gone and done it after lots of hard work and emotions. Roots is up and running to help people who have been dealt some tough cards.”
On the new website, Mrs Youngs candidly tells her story. “It all began in 2014 after the birth of my beautiful little girl, Maisie. She was 18 weeks old when I was given my life-changing diagnosis. I was sleeping four times a day, after a 12 hour sleep. I had a cold and a cough and then found a lump under my right armpit.”
Just one month later she began chemotherapy and was given a lifeline of a stem cell transplant. After this seemed to be a success, it later failed and Mrs Youngs was put on the list for another. After several donors failed, she eventually got a match – only to find out the cancer had returned so aggressively, a transplant couldn’t take place.
“A scan confirmed my life-shattering news. I was given between four weeks to under a year to live. Being told those words is something that nothing can ever prepare for. I had to tell all of my family, friends but most importantly my precious little girl. “This was by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Words cannot even begin to describe it. After four years of absolute hell and torture, with every treatment failing, I was at an all time low.”
But determined not to be beaten, Mrs Youngs looked into alternative therapies and maintained a strict alkaline diet. In February 2018 doctors said they could find no cancer.
“My consultant then came to see me unexpectedly to report the results from the scan and confirmed that there was no Hodgkins Lymphoma. Sat on my own in hospital, to my absolute delight and amazement I planned my ‘escape route.’ I was in disbelief, complete and utter shock and didn’t know what and how to say to tell people, I had convinced myself that people would think I was making the whole thing up.”
Mrs Youngs has now started the online business Roots Wellness to pass on some of the things which worked for her, addressing aiding all aspects of mind, body and your environment. It’s all in a one-stop site that means you don’t have to do all the work she did.
Focusing on diet did play a huge part. She said: “I was always aware of the power of food. With my husband Tom being a professional rugby player, diet and nutritionists were already a big part of our lives as a family. But overhauling my diet early on and being fully in control of what and how I was eating were so important.” She said ‘clean-eating’ was important. “Colourful, seasonal, fresh and organic food. No sugar, no dairy, no processed food, lean white meat and fish only, no alcohol, no nightshades, no junk food, and no coffee/tea/caffeine.”
The website is divided into products but also categories on health such as anxiety and stress, the gut, muscle and bones and skin care. There is a focus on mindfulness and things to make you feel better such as calming candles but also looks at your home environment too with cleaning products that are chemical-free.
“There are so many things that we suffer with that a bit of daily wellness may be able to help with. Anxiety, lack of sleep, achy body, depression and surgery after care, as well as boosting your immune system and just feeling like the best you can be.”
To find out more click here
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