|
I didn’t know Gretchen, but I know that Jenn knew her. She was, like Jenn, a member of an online support group for those with eating disorders. I felt the devastating effects of her death as I read the Facebook posts from other members of that same group. And though I didn’t know her, I cried.
In November, we drove from Western New York to Minneapolis to visit relatives for Thanksgiving. The scenery was the usual dull winter type. Grass was brown, or covered in snow, and the trees were bare. As we drove, I noticed that some trees were still clinging to their leaves. The leaves were brown and dead, or dying, but still these few trees held to them and did not relinquish them to the harshness of winter. I asked my husband about these special trees and he said they were oaks. Apparently oaks do not easily part with their leaves.
What do I know about eating disorders? Why do I think that I’m competent to blog about eating disorders? Good questions. I have no personal knowledge of eating disorders. It’s a disease that has not taken control of my mind, my every waking thought. My daughter had an eating disorder. When it began at age 13, we travelled the path to recovery with her. Innocently, we thought her weekly therapist visits and our occasional sessions as a family had rid her of the problem within a year. But, that was not to be.
|
|