Now, nearly six years later, I do not describe myself as “fully recovered”. I still follow a food plan that helps me decide how much I need to eat. I have entered into a fragile detente with my weight, grudgingly accepting that I am mentally and physically healthier in my current state, My organ systems are no longer nearly as forgiving as they were when my disease started. My bones are irreversibly damaged, and it doesn’t take much to throw my heart into complete chaos. Despite all of this, I have managed to create a life worth living and that, in and of itself, is a feat for someone who was repeatedly written off as uncooperative and untreatable.
Instead of demonising my parents as the cause of the anorexia, we needed them as supports to help me get better
In my years of being involved with the eating disorder community, I have seen a profound shift in the way we think about eating disorders. Although far too many people are still told that their disorder is “about control” or that there’s nothing anyone can do until a person chooses to get well, many parents and sufferers are learning about the complex web of biological and environmental ingredients that come together to create an eating disorder.
________________________________________