Six and a half years later...
...And I'm still alive. Ask my family, and they will tell you that six and a half years ago, there was no knowing if I would live through a deadly, devastating disease. A disease that, though treatable, often goes unchecked or inappropriately treated.
Eating disorders.
I am a bulimic. I will be a bulimic for the rest of my life. I'm in recovery, and I have been for over 6 years. Bulimia ruled for four years of my life, and it could've very easily taken the rest of it. If it wasn't for the actions of the family that loves me, I could possibly still be struggling with it. Or dead.
This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness week. This week is important, because awareness is key in the fight against eating disorders. There are so many misunderstandings and misconceptions about eating disorders. Very few sufferers of eating disorders get any form of treatment at all, and a small percentage of those people get the appropriate treatment. I am extremely fortunate that I was able to get the treatment at Avalon Hills that I needed to put me into recovery.
With awareness, we can get more people properly diagnosed and treated. With awareness, we can save lives.
Six and a half years ago, I took the first step on my journey to being treated. I am so glad I did. With awareness, we can give others the life changing treatment I had.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
The Importance of the Symphony
My mom remarried when I was 8 years old. They actually got engaged on my birthday, I remember because when my mom called, I assumed she was calling to wish me a happy birthday. Instead, she told me that Dave proposed. My birthday was not mentioned.
I don't remember how I felt about Dave when my parents were dating, but I do remember that at least in my tweens and teens, we did not get along. We have very similar personalities, and we often butted heads. I can say that there were times in my life that I hated him. I didn't even want to be in the same room as him.
My teen years were marked with a lot of angst, as teen years tend to be. I had a lot of issues, the biggest one being my struggle with bulimia. I began binging and purging at the age of 12. By the time I was 15, I had hit rock bottom. Three months in Avalon changed my life. Saved my life. Upon release from that institution, I learned a very interesting fact.
The insurance company only paid for my first month of treatment. The last two months were paid in full out of my parent's pockets. It was literally tens of thousands of dollars. In order to pay that money, my step-dad cashed out his retirement fund. It took them 6 years to pay that money back in to his retirement. If you know Dave, you know that the phrase 'penny pincher' is a mild way to describe his frugality. For him to spend that kind of money on me, an angsty, rebellious teen who made no bones about my dislike of him, caused 16 year old me to begin to reconsider our relationship.
One thing that we have always had in common is a love of classical music. Of course, I prefer Baroque era music, composers such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, while Dave loves the Romantic era, Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn. But, we can always agree to meet in the middle with Classic era music.
After I finished my treatment in Avalon, I went back to high school. Because I was taking Orchestra, I was required to attend concerts for concert credit. My mom, being a blindingly brilliant woman, suggested to me that I attend these concerts with my step-dad. I was very reluctant. It was hours of time spend just him and me. Grudgingly, I invited him to come with me.
Surprisingly, it turned out to be a lot of fun! Sharing a common interest gave us something that we had never had before. From that moment, our relationship began to change. Maybe it was just me growing up, but I think that the Symphony had a lot to do with it.
From that first trip, it became a sort of tradition. Our daddy daughter date to the Symphony. And I can say that this little tradition is my favorite thing to do with Dave. I hope that in the future, we can share this experience with my children. Three generations of music lovers at the Symphony.
Tonight, we are going to see one of Dave's favorite composers, Mendelssohn Italian Symphony. And I can't wait!!
(Here's how we do the symphony really cheap. If you are between the ages of 18 and I think 32, you can purchase tickets for $10 each. Then, you can either park downtown, which I hate, or take Trax. Now, you can take Trax from Provo. It's a little bit longer traveling time, but the station is literally right in front of Abravanel and the trains come every 10 minutes.)
I don't remember how I felt about Dave when my parents were dating, but I do remember that at least in my tweens and teens, we did not get along. We have very similar personalities, and we often butted heads. I can say that there were times in my life that I hated him. I didn't even want to be in the same room as him.
My teen years were marked with a lot of angst, as teen years tend to be. I had a lot of issues, the biggest one being my struggle with bulimia. I began binging and purging at the age of 12. By the time I was 15, I had hit rock bottom. Three months in Avalon changed my life. Saved my life. Upon release from that institution, I learned a very interesting fact.
The insurance company only paid for my first month of treatment. The last two months were paid in full out of my parent's pockets. It was literally tens of thousands of dollars. In order to pay that money, my step-dad cashed out his retirement fund. It took them 6 years to pay that money back in to his retirement. If you know Dave, you know that the phrase 'penny pincher' is a mild way to describe his frugality. For him to spend that kind of money on me, an angsty, rebellious teen who made no bones about my dislike of him, caused 16 year old me to begin to reconsider our relationship.
One thing that we have always had in common is a love of classical music. Of course, I prefer Baroque era music, composers such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, while Dave loves the Romantic era, Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn. But, we can always agree to meet in the middle with Classic era music.
After I finished my treatment in Avalon, I went back to high school. Because I was taking Orchestra, I was required to attend concerts for concert credit. My mom, being a blindingly brilliant woman, suggested to me that I attend these concerts with my step-dad. I was very reluctant. It was hours of time spend just him and me. Grudgingly, I invited him to come with me.
Surprisingly, it turned out to be a lot of fun! Sharing a common interest gave us something that we had never had before. From that moment, our relationship began to change. Maybe it was just me growing up, but I think that the Symphony had a lot to do with it.
From that first trip, it became a sort of tradition. Our daddy daughter date to the Symphony. And I can say that this little tradition is my favorite thing to do with Dave. I hope that in the future, we can share this experience with my children. Three generations of music lovers at the Symphony.
Tonight, we are going to see one of Dave's favorite composers, Mendelssohn Italian Symphony. And I can't wait!!
(Here's how we do the symphony really cheap. If you are between the ages of 18 and I think 32, you can purchase tickets for $10 each. Then, you can either park downtown, which I hate, or take Trax. Now, you can take Trax from Provo. It's a little bit longer traveling time, but the station is literally right in front of Abravanel and the trains come every 10 minutes.)
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