I was raised with the belief that language is important.  I was taught that that the precision of my words could greatly affect the impact of what I say. When I first met my partner a little over two years ago, one of the main things we bonded over was our love of language. A creative writer herself, I could see how carefully she spoke.

About three percent of teenagers and four percent of adults are affected by eating disorders, but most do not receive treatment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Why? Because the people around them—health professionals and school personnel, as well as friends and families—often don’t recognize the signs.

Many of you have asked - what is a MOM March and how was it born?

The M.O.M. (Mothers & Others) March was founded by Alliance For Eating Disorders Awareness, Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC) and Mothers Against Eating Disorders (MAED).  The mission of the M.O.M March is both simple and powerful:

When our daughter developed an eating disorder at 15, her educational trajectory was suddenly no longer predictable or inevitable.  She stopped completing assignments, and often lay in bed refusing to go to school.  In one year’s time she went from being a straight-A student playing two varsity sports to a student with 21 absences and two incompletes in her 10th grade year.  In addition to making important decisions about our daughter’s health care, we had to rethink her education.

When my beautiful daughter was diagnosed with severe anorexia in 2013, I was gobsmacked. I came up with a hundred irrational rationalizations and alternative reasons for her severe weight loss. But, soon enough our new reality sank in: this was serious and this was not going away quickly or easily. 

There is no ‘quick fix’

There’s no easy solution to an eating disorder, and the road to recovery can be exhausting. Prepare for it like you would any journey: build a good team, educate yourself, ask for help when you need it, and always remember that recovery IS possible.

Learn, read, research and educate

During NEDAwareness Week, we asked parents to share messages of hope and encouragement about supporting your child through the process of recovery from an eating disorder by using the hashtag #NEDAwareness so parents everywhere can benefit from the words of wisdom! 

What has helped you most? What advice would you share with a parent who’s child is currently struggling? What was the best advice you ever heard when you were going through a tough time as a care taker? Do you have a favorite quote or mantra that has been helpful for you?  

Our daughter was in high school when, in what seemed like out of nowhere, an eating disorder crept into her life and slowly took over. Gradually it strengthened its insidious hold on her and as it did, it pushed happiness away and her joyful spirit was replaced with emptiness and sadness. It stole our daughter away from us for three-and-a-half years and in so doing, it smothered our family as we grappled with the seriousness of what was happening to her.

In a story about the complex world of mental health and insurance, called “Denied,” 60 Minutes anchor, Scott Pelley interviewed Nancy West. Nancy, who is a friend of NEDA, shared the tragic story of her daughter Katherine’s death as a result of complications from an eating disorder.