From a young age, Alyssa has been faced with several different health challenges.  At the age of 13, she was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (a genetic autoimmune disorder of the small intestine) and after living 8 years with what her doctors called an “undiagnosed lung disease,” at the age of 20, Alyssa was finally diagnosed with an extremely rare lung condition called Fibrosing Mediastinis, FM.  As a complication from her lung disease, Alyssa was also diagnosed with permanent left vocal cord paralysis through which she lost her voice and most of her vocal strength for 3 years.


During those 3 years, Alyssa made a commitment to God that if it was His will for her to ever have a voice again, that she would use her voice all the more for His glory, to share the amazing ways that He has worked in her life, especially in the midst of her suffering.  Even though Alyssa still suffers from a permanently paralyzed left vocal cord, through the grace of God, in 2013 Alyssa was able to regain her vocal strength back.   It is now her absolute joy to keep that very promise to God in sharing her story.


In 2015, Alyssa created and launched her own ministry, Alyssa Grace Speaks, through which she is focused on speaking, writing, and sharing her testimony in hopes to help others find worth, meaning, and joy in the midst of their suffering too.  Alyssa has had the privilege of speaking to many high school teens, parents, youth groups, young adults, women’s groups, and different organizations, some of which include: being a guest on Catholic Radio, speaking to the Mission Team at the Dynamic Catholic Institute, as well as being a guest speaker at the Marian Conference held at Ohio Dominican University.


Alyssa has earned her Catechist Certificate through the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College and has spent several years serving and volunteering for local high school youth ministries in her diocese as a Core Team Member.  She is currently in the process of writing and publishing her very first book.