My father, Dr. Don Johnston, not only practiced chiropractic but he also lived it. We were raised with no vaccinations, no medication, and no surgeries unless life threatening. We took vitamins, we were adjusted and we made herbal teas to stay healthy, along with raising our own cows and growing our own food from the garden. It was during track when everything changed for me, and I really understood what chiropractic was. 

I started running my 8^th grade year in track, I knew I was fast, I just had never put that theory to the test until I joined the sprinting team.  No one could keep up with me, I pretty much blew my competition away.  My freshman year in high school started out the same way, I was the undefeated 100 and 200-meter sprinter on the team. I also competed in the Triple and Long jump, and this is where I got in trouble.  I was practicing my Triple Jump and I was in the middle of my hop to skip when I felt something “go” in my lower back as I jumped and landed in the pit.  I knew something was off but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.  As I climbed out of the pit, my coach Mr. Mathena yelled over to me that he needed to time me in the 200-meter dash and asked me to line up with the other runners.  I didn’t think twice about my back and I jogged over to the starting line.  I was a little stiff when I started my sprint but after a few strides my back numbed out and I was able to run at full speed around the corner and into the straight away.  I crossed the finish line with one of my best times of 26 seconds and as my steps slowed, my back began to seized up. I plopped down by my best friend Tana, who was sitting on the grass, in order to let my back relax. It was a few minutes later as our coach finished up and released us from practice that I realized I was unable to stand up because the pain in my back that was going into my right leg was so severe. With the help of my coach and Tana they were able to carry me in a seated position to her car where I ask her to take me to my dad’s office.   

 

My dad has taken care of me all my life and he knew of my congenital hemi-vertebra and curvature that I had in my lower back that had not given me any trouble until now. He was able to adjust my back, and I could feel the relief of the pain going into my right leg but I was still stiff. Over the next several weeks I struggled with my lower back, I was a horrible patient, I would not rest and take it easy.  I was not used to being hurt and I did not like the limitations it put on me. I ended up hurting my back 4 more times over the next 2 weeks, making it hard on my dad because he had to come to my school to adjust me so I could go back to class. My dad then gave me the ultimatum; I rest and not hurt my back again or I would be bedridden, and I was going to have to give up track that year. That did it, I started to listen to my father, I was adjusted every day until the spasms released. He did laser treatments to help me heal at the cellular level and take away the swelling in my lower back. I was amazed on how much better I felt and how fast I was able to recover compared to my teammates that have had similar issues with their knees and were out for the whole season.   

 After I recovered, I made sure I was consistent with my adjustment and that is when I really started to see my transformation. Over the next 3 years I really saw the effect chiropractic had on my performance.  By my senior year, I had participated in state finals all four years, placing in state four times in different events. I was at my peak; I broke several school records including the 100-meter dash with my fastest time of 12.2 seconds. Without chiropractic I would never have been able to accomplish everything I did. It was during this time I decided to become a chiropractor myself, all my friends and teammates would come to me when they were hurt after watching my dad take care of me throughout my running career. I loved seeing how I could make them feel better with my hands and I knew this was my calling.