This past week, February 21-27, was National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. It’s estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men. The statistics are frightening. With one in 200 American women suffering from anorexia and two to three in 100 American women suffering from bulimia, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
In fact, the mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females age 15 – 24-years-old. Even more frightening is the fact that only one in ten people with eating disorders receive treatment.
When Heather Hingston decided to attend graduate school to become a marriage & family therapist, she had no idea that her schooling to “heal” others would eventually lead to healing herself. As she began her studies, Heather was “in the trenches” of severe bulimia. Yet like most of those struggling with an eating disorder, she operated under a false sense of control. During one of her grad courses, she came face to face with the reality that she was in deep trouble and the disease was out of control. She began therapy. Two years later, after completing treatment, she found herself, again, after a binge, pacing her apartment, fighting the purge. Her history and the story she had been living finally caught up with her. Much like an addict fighting the need for a fix, the need to purge was overwhelming. However, Heather fought the urge that day and slowly, finally, she began the road to healing:
The next event is a Bilingual Story Slam: "American Dream," on Thursday March 10, 2016 from 7:30-9:45PM at Hot Water Wherehouse, 818 South Water Street. Visit Ex Fabulafor tickets and/or more information on this and all other upcoming March events.
