Life was never promised to be easy. It is only through our struggles and pain that we learn, grow, and hopefully prosper with the knowledge we’ve gained. This is the story that inspired us to start BRAS Thermography Northland in 2018 and eventually grow our practice into BTN Ministries.
I’m Tyler Polsgrove. My wife, Jocelyn, and I operate BTN Ministries. Until my early 20’s, I believed that my outside appearance was an accurate picture of my health. This is a perspective shared by many of us. I thought that if I managed my life well enough by compensating an unhealthy diet with exercise, that I would live a long, healthy life. When I was young, I was rarely sick, and I took pride in that fact. In 2002, we learned that Jocelyn was pregnant with our first child (we now have 3). Around that same time, I became very ill with a digestive disease, which was diagnosed as Ulcerative Colitis. I was initially confused and completely unaware of what that diagnosis meant. Confusion turned to frustration and desperation when none of the medication I was prescribed healed me, or even slowed down my debilitating symptoms. I was always taught that medical doctors knew what was best for me and my health, so I put my complete trust in them. After 10 months, I was unable to reach remission and could not even leave my house. In 2003, I spent 6 weeks in the hospital and ended up having surgery to remove my colon; just 2 weeks after our son, Tanner, was born.
I returned home from the hospital to a 1-month-old baby and Jocelyn, who was still recovering from delivering Tanner via C-Section. The previous 10 months had wrecked my body and neither Jocelyn or I were in a good position to care for ourselves, each other, or our new baby. We did the best we could and will always be thankful for friends and family who helped us through that difficult time.
Recovery from a total colectomy was a painful year and a half. Emotionally, I was in even worse shape. I felt as though my body had failed me, and in turn, I’d failed to support my family. My inability to work through my health issues caused us to have to sell our house and many possessions and left us bankrupt. I internalized my shame for our financial situation and for my body, which had a new and less appealing image (I had an ileostomy). I struggled with depression and wondered what I had done to deserve such a hard life.
It’s interesting how perspectives can change as we mature. During that time of my life, I prayed that God would heal me and take care of us by getting us out of our situation. That was not God’s plan. Looking back on that time, 25 years ago, Jocelyn and I were very different people. Painful experiences and hardships are wonderful teachers and motivators.
I was introduced to a naturopath in 2010 who helped me finally regain my health. The appointment changed my life. I learned that pharmaceuticals and surgeries can’t heal people like I’d always been told. Healing only happens through God’s design, and our bodies already know what to do. Sometimes the body needs stimulated in a way that opens pathways for healing to occur, much like a broken bone needs to be realigned so it can heal properly.
Jocelyn and I became very interested in natural supplementation and alternative medicine and we studied many different healing modalities for the next several years. Jocelyn started BRAS (Breast health Research and Support) Thermography Northland as a certified clinical thermographer and holistic nutritionist in 2018. We were drawn to medical thermography because of its true preventive ability; to identify metabolic dysfunction before the body becomes symptomatic. In other words, thermography can find disease patterns before the person is aware they are sick. This approach is especially effective at detecting patterns of dysfunction that could cause breast cancer.
In 2019, Jocelyn became a Level II IHT certified Bioscan technician and began offering Bioscan (Biomeridian) sessions to members. If Thermography was an aerial snapshot of a city, Bioscan would be its roadmap. Thermography pairs well with Bioscan because thermography identifies areas of dysfunction or inflammation, and Bioscan looks for energetic imbalances within the body that could create the dysfunction.
Jocelyn has developed into a skilled Bioscan Tech. She has helped dozens of people restore their health from life altering illnesses and she has helped many more people achieve their personal health goals. I purchased a colon therapy device called a Dotolo Toxygen in early 2021. I wanted to work with Jocelyn, and help people improve their overall health by offering colonic treatments. My plan was to get certified, rent an office space, and work part-time as a colon hydro-therapist.
God had a different plan for our lives. Our oldest son, Tanner, suddenly became very sick in July of 2021 with a digestive illness. Tanner had digestive symptoms like mine; severe and unrelenting. Also like me, his body did not respond positively to treatment. Tanner’s strength, courage, and faith in God were inspirational to everyone around him as he fought to regain his health over the next 12 months. Despite our best efforts and treatment plans from some of the best natural and allopathic doctors in the country, Tanner’s health deteriorated. He suffered a major stroke in early July of 2022 and our amazing, beautiful son passed away at 19 years old.
I can’t begin to describe the emotions that our family shared with Tanner as we supported each other though his illness, or the pain we’ve felt since his passing. Ernest Hemingway once said that all stories, if followed long enough, end in death. We all know this to be true, but it’s not the length of one’s story that bears significance, it’s the impact it has on the world. Tanner’s life was an immense success in this way, and I pray that his passing was as easy and relieving as sitting in a comfortable chair after a hard day’s work. His rest was well earned. God continues to teach us by allowing us to struggle; he tempers our souls through painful experiences. Then, when our work is done, he brings us home to rest.
I used to think that there was a natural cure for all health conditions. There very well may be, but we don’t know all of them. What we have come to know, is that God has a plan for everyone. God reveals knowledge to cure, only if it is His plan to cure. It is our mission to treat our members with respect and compassion, and it is our hope that God works through our ministry to heal those people whose work is not yet finished.
I am happy to have completed an office space that allows me to work closely with some very good people. I’ve received excellent training from Linda Laskowski, whom I’m very thankful to call my friend. I’m passionate about helping others to improve their health and look forward to seeing where this work takes me.
Tyler Polsgrove
BNT Ministries
816-214-0193