Kathlena was dying.
That’s what the doctors told her. Thirty days. Thirty days left to endure the pain she’d felt for years, so fierce it had warped her sense of normalcy. Allergies to nearly everything in her environment—foods, chemicals, even water—had her body in a constant state of revolt. Each sip, each bite, was a roll of the dice, a gamble that could end in a violent reaction. Water, the simplest and most essential thing for survival, had become her enemy.
When the doctors delivered their prognosis, she felt something she hadn’t expected—relief. “Thirty days,” they said, with an eerie certainty. Instead of panic or despair, her mind calmly processed the thought: Okay, I can do thirty more days. The idea that her suffering would finally end, after years of relentless nausea, pain, and reactions, seemed almost merciful.
But the thirty days passed. And she didn’t die.
The doctors, baffled, offered no further explanations. Kathlena, long past trusting in medicine, found herself drifting between resignation and defiance. If her body had defied the odds, maybe there was a way to keep going. Maybe there was some path forward, hidden in plain sight.
But even as hope flickered, the hardest battle remained: water, the thing that everyone else could drink without a second thought. For most, it’s as simple as turning on a tap, grabbing a bottle. But for Kathlena, drinking water was like swallowing fire—razor blades slicing her throat. The chemicals and filtration processes, designed to make it safe for most, made it lethal for her. She was down to drinking less than two ounces a day, barely enough to stay alive.
Imagine knowing that without water, your body will fail—yet feeling as though every drop is poison. She tried everything: imported waters from faraway lands, exotic glacial melts, rare mineral waters bottled in pristine valleys. Nothing worked. Every sip sent her back to the same hellish pain. It was a losing battle.
Then, almost by accident, she found Summit Spring.
Summit Spring isn’t just any spring water source. It’s a natural, gravity-fed spring tucked in the hills of Maine, where the water flows straight to the surface on its own, without the need for pumps or boreholes, like almost all other spring water companies. For centuries, it’s been known for its purity. No filtration, no chemical treatments—just spring water, as natural as it can be. For Kathlena, this was a long shot. Just another name on a long list of failed remedies.
But with nothing left to lose, she tried it.
The first sip surprised her. No pain. No burning. “It was smooth,” she says, still a little in disbelief. “Like silk.” She took another sip, waiting for the familiar punch in the gut, but it never came. “I kept waiting for the pain,” she recalls, “but it didn’t show up. I thought, ‘Where is it?’ But it was gone.”
Summit Spring, that quiet, unassuming spring water source in Maine, became her lifeline. Slowly, cautiously, she began drinking it more and more. It didn’t just hydrate her—it saved her. Today, she says flatly, “Without Summit Spring, there is no me.”
But this is not just a story of survival. It’s a story of a rare and precious water source, and a company that has chosen to preserve something most would exploit. Summit Spring has always been different. It’s a source of spring water that rises naturally, guided by the earth itself. No pumps. No industrial filtration. The water flows on its own, and that’s how it’s bottled—directly at the source, with no interference. It’s one of the few places left where water is left to be, well, just water.
The spring has a rich history. Indigenous peoples drank from it long before the first settlers arrived in Maine. Early records tell of the spring water’s purity, with claims of its healing properties. Today, Summit Spring continues to flow as it always has, unsoiled by the hands of modernity. The company behind it, led by N. Bryan Pullen, doesn’t just bottle spring water—they protect it. They leave the spring to do what it’s done for centuries, flowing at its own pace, replenishing itself naturally. It’s a philosophy that mirrors regenerative farming, where the land is left to heal and renew itself.
Summit Spring’s approach stands in stark contrast to most modern bottling operations, which use heavy machinery and chemicals to speed up the process and increase output. At Summit Spring, the water flows naturally, and it’s bottled when it’s ready, not before. They don’t alter the flow, and they don’t treat the water. It’s nature’s process, not ours. This isn’t just good for the spring—it’s good for the planet.
And for Kathlena, it’s the only thing that’s kept her alive.
The purity of the spring water gave her the strength to keep going. With that strength came a new sense of purpose. No longer content with just surviving, Kathlena turned her attention to others who struggled with extreme allergies and dietary restrictions. She launched RAISE, an online platform designed to offer support, recipes, and resources for people like her. Her goal wasn’t just to help others survive—it was to help them live, fully.
One of her greatest joys is helping children with severe food allergies. She recalls a young girl whose allergies were so extreme she had never eaten a birthday cake. The girl’s parents had given up hope of ever finding a bakery that could accommodate her needs. Kathlena made it her mission to change that. She baked the girl her first cake—gluten-free, allergen-free, and filled with love. “The look on her face,” Kathlena says, “I’ll never forget it. These kids deserve to feel like they belong.”
Kathlena’s mission has become much more than survival. It’s about living in a world that doesn’t always understand the challenges of food allergies, but making it a little easier for those who do. Through her bakery, her online courses, and her platform, she’s helping others find their way.
At the core of her journey, though, remains Summit Spring. The spring water, as natural as it is pure, gave her a chance at life when nothing else did. In a world that often overcomplicates the simple things, Summit Spring remains a reminder of nature’s power. It flows, quietly, steadily, giving life where it’s needed most.
For Kathlena, it’s not just water. It’s hope. It’s survival. And for Summit Spring, it’s not just a source—it’s a legacy of purity that will continue to flow for generations to come.
To learn more about Kathlena’s work and see her recipes, visit her website at theallergychef.com.
