San Mateo mother who lost daughter to anorexia leads Washington rally
By Aaron Kinney, San Mateo County Times, Calif. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The sensitive, intelligent young woman left behind a 2-year-old daughter and a grieving mother who decided to channel her pain into helping others. After losing her only child,
On Tuesday, the 60-year-old
"When a child dies, you, the parent, have two choices: to survive or to die," Schlesinger plans to tell the crowd on the west lawn of the
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As many as 30 million Americans suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, according to the nonprofit
Nicole's "commander," as she dubbed her anorexia, didn't take hold until she was 18. But there were early warning signs -- behaviors Debra would have taken more seriously had there been more information available about anorexia at the time.
Always a picky eater, Nicole started taking food home from restaurants by the age of 9 or 10, not wanting to eat in front of other people. By middle school she was developing a poor self-image of her body, complaining that her belly wasn't flat enough.
In college she spiraled downward, developing an extreme diet and a punishing exercise routine. She was hospitalized nearly a dozen times over the next nine years, checking out each time against the advice of doctors.
Debra recalls feeling powerless to help her daughter. Every day she prayed she would see Nicole sign onto AOL Instant Messenger in the morning.
"I could see her screen name come online," she said through tears, "so I knew she that she lived another day."
Nicole died in her sleep of heart failure in 2003. Her daughter, now 13, lives in
Through her support group, Mothers Against Eating Disorders, Debra is advocating for more money to be spent on research into what causes eating disorders as well as how to treat and prevent them. The
Advocates also say that, while insurance coverage of eating disorders has improved in recent years, policymakers in
In addition, Schlesinger's partners, including the
The causes of anorexia remain somewhat murky, but it's clear there is a strong genetic component, according to Dr. Stewart Agras, a
Anorexia is difficult to treat, Agras said, but the odds of success are higher if the disease is caught early, before its habits are too deeply ingrained. Recent research indicates that family therapy is more effective than individual therapy.
One of the speakers at Tuesday's march will be
"I love that this march is happening," said Westin, "because to me it's a sign that there's this next generation now that will have a voice and do this advocacy and will keep talking about it until all the issues are addressed."
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