by Sharon Coyle-Saeed, CorrespondentPublished 2:02 p.m. ET March 5, 2017

Whether it’s about her cat’s dental surgery and writing about Crohn’s disease, Barbara Steingas shares what life has taught her.  By writing her stories, the author and coach has found a pathway to keep going forward. The more we live through, the more we can relate to people,” she said. The books also have been a way to heal.  When her first husband died, she poured her heart into writing books. Then, when her second partner passed away a few years ago, Barbara Steingas coped in the best way she knew — to write more books…. “I didn’t grow up being a writer. I was made into a writer through experience. The more we live through, the more we can relate to people,” she said. And Steingas, a 53-year-old author, speaker and coach, has lived through a lot.

Her latest creation is a children’s book, “Fluffy (The Cat) Goes to the Dentist”, a true story about Steingas’ cat who needed her snaggletooth removed. “One day, I noticed Fluffy not eating and her front tooth growing. We went to her vet who said that she needed her tooth extracted. I thought that this would be a great story for kids. If Fluffy can do it, so can you,” Steingas said.

Growing up, this High Bridge resident was a creative child with a strong imagination. “She loved music and theater. She was an only child. Very bright,” recalled her mother, Rosemarie Wall, who lives in Germany. This bright child upon graduating high school was accepted into a scholarship honors program for physical therapy at the University of Maryland. “I wanted to help people. To help people who were suffering through the power of touch and rehabilitation,” she said. Struggling to survive Upon graduating in 1985, Steingas studied further at Columbia Teachers College in New York focusing on motor learning. It was there that she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disease under the umbrella of Inflammatory Bowel Disease which affects the entire digestive tract.

“During my master’s program, I was so sick. I took naps in between classes on the couches of my professor’s offices. I felt very isolated. I felt as if I was struggling just to survive,” Steingas remembers. While fighting through a challenging disease, Steingas joined the team at Overlook Hospital in Summit as a physical therapist. This year marks her 30th year there “I have worked side by side with Barbara for 28 years. She is a strong girl. Physically and emotionally. Barbara has been through a lot and comes through it stronger. Period,” said Rita Gray, a physical therapist and friend. After eight years of no remission from her disease and down to 85 pounds, Steingas longed for more answers. “My gastroenterologist wanted to place me on a drug that would suppress my immune system. It didn’t make sense to me. I was putting myself at risk for infections and messing with an already compromised immunity. I had an epiphany. I could explore other options,” she said. And she did. Steingas traveled into the city to the Atkins Center and it was there that she began to find an alternative way to treat her disease. “At the center, they looked at everything. Hair analysis, allergy testing and my diet. I found out I was eating things that was increasing yeast and candida in my body, I wasn’t keeping myself hydrated enough, and I also learned about keeping my system more alkaline,” she said. Steingas also attended health seminars by Tony Robbins, Louise Hay, and Deepak Chopra.

It was at a seminar in Edison where she met her soul mate, Bob. “I was searching for parts in my puzzle to help me heal. Bob became my final piece. He gave me unconditional love. It was through his love that I began to feel better,” Steingas said Loving and losing They were married in 1995 on a mountaintop in Vermont. A fairy tale happy ending came crashing down 11 years later. “I found him in bed. He was already gone. I automatically started to do CPR on him. His teeth were clenched. I knew he was gone. I kept trying,” her voice softened and continued. “I was in shock. This could not be happening, but it was.” Steingas’ body started shutting down once again. That same year, she had surgery resulting in a temporary colostomy, a surgical procedure in which the colon is drawn to the abdominal wall for an alternative channel for feces to leave the body. “She was in bad shape. Barbara almost lost her life. After watching a movie, ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding,’ my daughter decided to tell stories about her German family. Funny and touching stories. As we are not known to be warm and fuzzy,” Wall laughed, “Barbara started to write.” And Steingas began to heal once again. Her first book was published in 2010, with the title of, “Germans Are Funny Too!” The next book published in 2013, “The Healing Puzzle,” is where Steingas tells the story of her life and her love. “ ‘The Healing Puzzle’ is a love story. A story about how love can heal us,” she said. Steingas remained open to love and found it once again in a man named George. This former child with the strong imagination could never believe she would fall in love again. She also could never imagine that she would experience loss….yet again. “Three years ago, George died. His blood sugar was way too high. He died from Diabetic Ketoacidosis. I was lost. In shock. Re-traumatized,” she said. So, what did Steingas do? She wrote a book. Actually, she wrote two books. In 2015, she published, “Solving the Crohn’s and Colitis Puzzle: Piecing Together Your Picture of Optimal Health and Vitality”, and most recently, her first children’s book, “Fluffy(The Cat) Goes to the Dentist”. “I wanted to help kids who may be afraid of the dentist. To bring some health, happiness and joy to them,” as she holds up her Fluffy puppet. Steingas’ current book she is working on will take us on a journey of healing the grief puzzle while she continues to remain hopeful of sharing her life with someone. “My heart is still open to receive,” she said. “I pray though that this time, God will let me keep this one to the end.” To learn more about Steingas and her books, visit www.barbarastreingas.com