Irish-French-American Sasha Piton has relocated to Dublin, sharing insights from her transition to Ireland after spending four years and $20,000 addressing severe health issues that eventually provided her with a doctor’s note to move abroad, according to her published account in The Journal.
Health Struggles Following International Travel
According to Piton’s account, her health complications began after a 2019 cultural exchange trip to Zambia, where she accidentally consumed undercooked pork on the final day and experienced illness throughout a 42-hour journey back to the United States. Six months later, during a cultural experience in Nepal, she accidentally drank hose water served in a glass. Although she saw doctors after both trips and had bloodwork run, results came back normal, and practitioners attributed the symptoms to travel-related illness.
Over the subsequent four years, Piton’s condition worsened to include gastrointestinal issues, fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, and unexpected weight gain despite regular exercise and a healthy diet. Four different doctors told her she was fine or suggested the symptoms stemmed from her weight or gluten consumption. Piton reported paying $3,000 out of pocket for a colonoscopy at age 33 because her insurance would not cover the procedure.
Diagnosis and Recovery Through Functional Medicine
In early 2023, a friend recommended a functional medicine MD. Following a comprehensive testing regimen that included stool, urine, saliva, numerous blood panels, and a DNA test, a fifth doctor identified that foreign bacteria had taken over Piton’s microbiome, preventing nutrient absorption and shutting down her body and brain hormones. Piton stated that it took a year and $20,000 of testing and supplements to recover, noting that her joint aches ceased, her sleep normalized, and her energy returned.
Relocation to Dublin
After planning a girls’ trip to Ireland for nine months and coming in April of 2025—visiting the Ring of Kerry, Killarney, Galway, and Dublin—Piton decided to move to the city. She obtained a doctor’s note stating that moving to Europe would benefit her health to present to her remote employer in the United States. When executives did not approve the remote relocation and subsequently laid her off five months later, Piton sold her house and proceeded with the move anyway.
Reflecting on her arrival, Piton credited Dublin’s soil minerals, high-quality food, clean air, accessible mineral water, public transportation, and walkability for supporting her continued recovery, acknowledging that while housing and traffic present challenges, the city realized her personal goals.
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