NuGo Fan of the Month: Patty Servidio

Patty Servidio, a retired registered emergency room nurse, writes a weekly column for Long Island magazine as well as her local paper. She also contributes articles to several other online venues. She conquers health challenges with an optimistic attitude that is inspirational.

Several years ago, Patty took NuGo Free bars with her to rehearsals when she was a community theater actor. They helped her get through long rehearsals when she couldn’t take a break to grab something to eat. Now, she carries a NuGo bar with her at all times and even keeps them in her hiking backpack.

Patty’s family eats many NuGo bars per week, and she enjoys one daily. Her absolute favorite flavor is NuGo Dark Mint Chocolate Chip. She also likes NuGo Free Dark Chocolate Crunch as well as three other NuGo Dark flavors: Spicy Chocolate, Coconut, and Chocolate Pretzel. Patty is vegan, allergic to both dairy and wheat, and eats gluten-free for health reasons.

Her husband loves NuGo Dark Peanut Butter Cup and Chocolate Pretzel. Her daughter eats gluten-free and dairy-free and loves NuGo Free Carrot Cake and NuGo Dark Coconut as a work or college snack. Patty recently got her mom to try NuGo Dark Mint Chocolate Chip and said, “she concurs with me that it does, in fact, taste like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie!” Even the family dog tries to steal NuGo Bars off the counter!

In 2007 after a fall at work, Patty was diagnosed with MS. With research, an optimist outlook, many lifestyle changes, and a new oral medication called Tecfidera, Patty is not only living a very successful life with MS, but counseling others who are newly diagnosed. She has weaned herself off of a cane and is now walking independently. She is living with much less pain, despite some flare ups and being extra susceptible to upper respiratory infections.

As a result of her MS, Patty is no longer running regularly. She used to run six miles daily. However, she is a yogi, and takes to her yoga mat daily, which has vastly improved her balance. She is also an avid hiker, so “when life closes a door, a window opens.” She walks and uses a recumbent cycle on days that she is unable to hike.

Patty shared these inspirational words. “Never give up, because you can always reinvent yourself. And just because you aren’t up and moving one day does not mean that you won’t be up and moving the next. Keep rolling with the punches, keep the faith, and remain positive.” Patty said, “A smile can always lift the gloomiest of spirits!”

Patty’s hobbies include writing, animal and human rights, healthcare activism, cooking, baking, photography, knitting, and reading. Since shifting gears and becoming a writer, she has found that her life has changed in ways that she never thought possible. Patty said, “I have opened my life to meditation and have found a source of peace and gratitude that was sorely lacking from my life.”

Follow Patty on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Read her articles about a variety of topics in Long Island magazine, including the moving piece, Why I Don’t Have a MS Blog, and Plainview Patch.