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Higher Than Health was born from love—and from watching someone you love fight battles that most people never see.

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In 2018, Dr. Dasha Cathey founded the Higher Than Health Wellness Charity because of her father, Daron Cathey—a proud Navy Veteran and a man with a strong spirit, even when his body was struggling. Daron lived with diabetes and the complications that can quietly steal so much: energy, independence, peace of mind, and eventually time. But what hurt just as much as the disease was how often it felt like people were expected to “figure it out” alone—without clear education, without support, without someone breaking things down in a way that made sense.

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Dasha didn’t just see the diagnosis. She saw the everyday reality: the worry behind the smiles, the hard days that didn’t make the highlight reel, and the moments when one small piece of information—or one person showing up—could have made all the difference. She also saw his resilience. The way he kept going. The way he loved. The way he fought to be present, even when it was hard.

Higher Than Health became her promise: that other families wouldn’t have to feel as lost, and other people wouldn’t have to feel judged, dismissed, or alone while trying to manage their health.

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When Daron passed away in 2021, Dasha carried the grief—but she also carried the mission. She chose to turn pain into purpose. Every event, every handout, every conversation, every resource shared is a continuation of what her father gave her: strength, heart, and the reminder that helping even one person matters.

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Higher Than Health exists to honor Daron’s legacy by doing what he deserved all along: meeting people with compassion, giving them knowledge they can use, and reminding them—no matter where they’re starting—that they can rise higher than their diagnosis.