At the age of 18, Elise Foley was driving home from volleyball practice when her life changed in an instant.
The River Falls High School senior had a seizure, which began a two-year health descent. She found herself bedbound, struggling with seizures, cognitive decline, stuttering, and even kidney failure.
“It was super weird,” she said. “I had never had seizures before. One incident, and you’re a different person.”
Foley had plans to attend Hamline University in Minnesota to study aeronautical engineering and play collegiate volleyball. She had to put her university plans on hold as her parents searched for answers. Emergency room visits led to more questions and few solutions. Doctors dismissed her symptoms as anxiety or stress.
“I couldn’t talk. I was stuttering. The only anxiety I had was not knowing what was happening to me,” she said. “But I wasn’t making it up (the symptoms).”
With no clear diagnosis and her health rapidly declining, her family sought help outside traditional medicine. A natural health provider eventually identified a metabolic condition that prevented Foley’s body from properly absorbing essential vitamins.
The solution was surprisingly simple, and her health turned around with daily supplements.
“Within about two weeks, I felt so much better,” Foley said. “It took a few months for my body to rebalance from all the stress, but my skin color came back. I grew two inches. My body really needed those vitamins.”
After two years of fear, frustration, and physical decline, Foley was finally healing.
But her journey didn’t stop there.
Now, as a Business Management student at Chippewa Valley Technical College in River Falls, she’s working towards earning a degree that will help her while she’s in business to help others.
During her recovery, Foley was introduced to craniosacral therapy — a gentle, hands-on technique focused on relieving tension in the nervous system.
The work impacted her own recovery by calming her nervous system and allowing her body to recalibrate.
What began as personal therapy soon became something deeper.
“I just felt like there was a higher power calling me,” Foley said. “I thought, ‘these therapies helped me so much, I needed to give back and help other people.’ ”
She completed a year-long program that combined anatomy coursework with hands-on clinical training. She also pursued an additional certification in energy healing.
In 2023, at just 20 years old, Foley launched her own craniosacral therapy business. She initially traveled to clients’ homes before renting space in River Falls. Now, she is expanding toward the St. Paul area to reach a broader client base.
Her motivation is deeply personal.
“I think it’s so important to get trauma out of the body,” she said. “A lot of people tuck it away, and it gets stored. Later, it can show up as stress, aches, and pains, and we don’t even realize why.”
In addition to her therapy practice, Foley has published three books, including one that shares her own health journey. She hopes her story encourages others who feel dismissed or unheard.
While building her practice, Foley realized she wanted stronger business knowledge to support long-term growth. That led her to the Business Management program at Chippewa Valley Technical College.
“I’ve always loved learning new things,” she said. “The program really helps me see new ways I can run my business and get new perspectives.”
Now studying part-time while managing her expanding client base, Foley will graduate next year with her associate degree, adding business management to her professional repertoire.
Looking back, Foley, 22, acknowledges the grief of losing her original educational journey. But she sees her health crisis as a redirection rather than an ending.
“I’m glad the world rerouted me,” she said. “When I face challenges, I like to kick them down.”
And while her journey has been fast-moving and full of change, she welcomes the route that turned her most frightening chapter into a calling.
“I just want people to know there are options,” Foley said. “And they deserve to feel well.”
