Maddy Hein- Hour 7

The Dangers of Eating Disorders Lesson 1:

Lesson 1: Quote Puke and starve and cut and drink because you don't want to feel any of this. Puke and starve and cut and drink because you need an anesthetic and it works. For a while. But then the anesthetic turns into poison and by then it's too late because you are maintaining it now, straight into your soul. Page 134 There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore Page 203

Lia and Cassie were battling to be the thinnest girls in school. Little did they know what they were actually doing to their bodies. They starved, cut and purged themselves to the point where Cassie passed away. Lia ‘s parents learned more about the dangers of eating disorders from Cassie’s death than Lia. Cassie’s organs stopped working from malnutrition and her esophagus burst and she went into shock and died alone in a motel room. They forced Lia into treatment. But she refused to open up to a counselor or follow an eating plan. Lia did not learn much from the death of her best friend. Lia thought she was invincible. But later on, her little sister, whom she loved dearly, caught her in the darkest point in her disease. She walked in on Lia’s skeleton- like body fainted in the bathtub with bloody cuts across her entire body. After rushing her to a hospital, Lia’s father and step mother would not allow Lia to see her little sister anymore. This gave Lia motivation and she became dedicated to becoming healthier so she can spend time with her little sister and live up to the promises she made to her. Lia did not want her baby sister to see her die like Cassie did. What Lia learned:

In my own life This lesson can be applied to my life because most girls my age have problems, not as severe as Lia and Cassie, but problems like theirs. Knowing how fatal an eating disorder can be and having knowledge about them is important for every teenager. Having a healthy lifestyle is important for growing and being able to live properly. Lia and Cassie’s stories scared me. Seeing how desparate they were to e perfect just shows how cruel society is. Although this was a story, many real people have similar or worse strories about their struggle with eating disorders. Being educated about the subject will help me stay healthy and help other teens that have an eating disorder problem.

Lesson 2: Relationships with Friends and Family

Lesson 2: Quote I breathe in slowly. Food is life. I exhale, take another breath. Food is life. And that's the problem. When you're alive, people can hurt you. It's easier to crawl into a bone cage or a snowdrift of confusion. It's easier to lock everybody out. But it's a lie. p.275

With the relationship between Lia and her parents, I think Lia learned that honesty is the best policy. She let her disorder get the best of her and did not tell her parents how bad it was getting. After her first time in treatment, she was given a diet plan but she found a way around it and weekly weigh ins. She would eat at dinner or around her family, but in the middle of the night, she would spend 3 hours in their home gym. Lia would also sew weights into her robe she wore for weigh ins. If she would have been honest with her parents, maybe they could have helped her before she hit rock bottom. the relationship she had with Cassie was not healthy. They should have never let each other become so sick. She should have thought for herself and done what was best for her instead of competing in a silly bet. Lia learned that the relationship between her sister and herself saved her life. She wanted the best for her sister and that was the only family relationship she had.

Having strong relationships are important at any age. Knowing you have someone there for you that you trust at any time is very comforting. I think that is what Lia needed in her life during her disorder. Building healthy relationships is just as important. If the friendship is bad, and is causing you to not make decisions you would normally make, that is not a healthy relationship. Knowing when to tell your friends no is important for a strong relationship.

Lesson 3: Communication and Trust

Lesson 3: Quote....I started coming here after the first prison clinic stay because Dr. N. Parker is a scam artist specialist in crazy teenagers troubled adolescents. I opened my mouth during the first couple of visits and gave her a key to open my head. Ginormous mistake. She brought her lantern and a hard hat and lots of rope to wander through my caves. She laid land mines in my skull that detonated weeks later. page 114

Lia needed a friend not a counselor. She really did not talk to her mom or dad or have a close relationship with them in which she could trust them. She did not open up to the counselor because she did not trust her. When Cassie passed, she really had no one. No one at school wanted to talk to the walking skeleton. During a dark time in her life, Lia was seeing Cassie’s ghost around her. Lia decided to open up to the counselor and tell her everything. If she would have communicated with the counselor sooner, Lia’s disorder would not have needed to get as bad as it did. She should have trusted in the doctors and what the people around her were saying.

Trusting people may be hard for most teens, but it is necessary for us to build healthy strong relationships. Having trust not only in people, friends, and families, but in our education, and where our life is heading. Communicating with others is important so our teenage emotions won’t bottle up and destroy us. No matter how big or small the problem is, talking about it always helps. If you talk to the right people, they may give you some good advice that could help you in the long run and help you in the long run.