My Story
Sixteen Years of Fighting Back
In 2010, Mari was diagnosed with scleroderma — a progressive autoimmune disease with no cure. What followed was not a surrender. It was a TRANSFORMATION.
The Diagnosis — 2010
A Disease With No Cure
Scleroderma is a chronic connective tissue disease that causes the body to produce too much collagen, hardening the skin and damaging internal organs. In its systemic form, it can affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, and digestive tract. When Mari received her diagnosis in 2010, the prognosis was sobering.
Doctors outlined a timeline. They discussed disease progression, organ involvement, and quality of life. What they could not have predicted was what Mari would do next.
This Is What She Fought For
Pictured above are Mari with her husband Jose and their children, Madeline Rose and Jose Manuel Jr.
Then & Now — the journey that changed everything.
Scleroderma diagnosis
Started making dietary changes
Had her second child
Began road cycling
Completed her first century ride (100 miles) and began coaching others
Adopted intermittent fasting
Created a 4-week blueprint plan to help people completely change their lifestyle
Was riding 200-mile rides
Foundation established
Still riding. Still fighting.
The Turning Point
Choosing the Road Over the Prognosis
"I decided the disease would not write my story. I would."
Rather than accepting a passive role in her own health, Mari began researching everything she could about autoimmune disease, inflammation, and the body's capacity to heal. She discovered that movement — specifically endurance cycling — had profound anti-inflammatory effects. She got on a bike.
The Protocol
What Slowed the Progression
Endurance Cycling
Long-distance cycling became Mari's primary tool. The sustained aerobic effort reduced systemic inflammation, improved circulation to affected tissues, and gave her a measurable goal to train toward every single day.
Intermittent Fasting
By compressing her eating window, Mari gave her body extended periods of cellular repair. Autophagy — the body's self-cleaning process — became a cornerstone of her anti-inflammatory strategy.
Eliminating Processed Sugars
Sugar is one of the most potent drivers of systemic inflammation. Removing it from her diet was one of the first and most impactful changes Mari made — and one she has maintained for over a decade.
Community & Purpose
Isolation accelerates disease. Connection heals. Building a community of riders, coaches, and advocates gave Mari's protocol a social and emotional dimension that science increasingly confirms is essential to long-term health.
Pictured here with long time cycling friend and WWM board member Jose Gregorio Alvarez.
Today
Still Riding. Still Fighting.
Sixteen years after her diagnosis, Mari is still riding. She has completed century rides, coached hundreds of people in her own community as well as some dealing with chronic illness, and built a foundation dedicated to spreading the protocol that changed her life.
Her scleroderma has not disappeared. But its progression has slowed in ways her doctors did not expect. She is proof that the body — given the right inputs — is capable of extraordinary resilience.
Work With MariYour Story Isn't Over Either.
Whether you're navigating a diagnosis, supporting someone who is, or simply looking to build a more resilient life — Mari's coaching and community are here for you.