VANESSA JAY

Team NutriFitt Athlete Vanessa Jay was born and raised in a small town called Leighton Buzzard, located in Bedfordshire, England. Growing up she sampled just about every sport imaginable and particularly enjoyed Martial Arts. Japanese jujitsu, Tae Kwon-Do, Wing Chun King Fu and boxing were all a feature on top of tennis, swimming and soccer.

Unexpectedly, at the age of 15 a series of traumatic life events triggered an underlying illness known as Systemic Lupus. The fight dynamic changed from a competition to the fight to understand a new normal; which remains a learning process. Having now been in remission for over 5 years Vanessa has since become an ambassador for The Hibbs Lupus Trust, an English charity that provides support and information to families and loved ones. 

Vanessa chooses to be a symbol of hope to those who have been told that Lupus is the end. There is no doubt that a healthy and active lifestyle has helped keep the Lupus inactive; however, the true source in Vanessa's mind is her mental fortitude in a time of adversity combined with the invaluable power of hope.

Vanessa is currently competing in Brazilian Jiujitsu under the prestigious Atos JJ banner. She is also training in MMA in her current residence of San Diego, CA. 

Vanessa can be found on Instagram at @nessjay91