Lessons About Caring for the Caregiver
By Liz McLean, F.E.A.S.T. Volunteer “The friend who holds your hand and says the wrong thing is made of dearer stuff than the one who stays away.” -Barbara Kingsolver I’ve had a relatively easy life. There is someone who has always had it worse, right? But I have been hardship adjacent always. A neighbor gets […]
Parenting and Partnership
By Judy Krasna, F.E.A.S.T Volunteer My husband and I had an unexpected guest recently. My daughter gave birth and then developed a serious infection 2 weeks later that required hospitalization. She called me from the parking lot of the emergency room and asked me to please come and take the baby. And so, my husband […]
Don’t Fight Alone, Find Your People!
By Karyn (KC) Tillman Helping your loved one embark on the journey towards recovery can be brutal and lonely. If I could emphasize just one vital tool to acquire—and hold onto with dear life—while being a caregiver during the navigation of an eating disorder, it would be to find your tribe. Find and surround yourself […]
Not On Board But Weathering the Same Storm
By Sarah, F.E.A.S.T. Volunteer We love our children very much. On this, Iʼm sure we can all agree. Beyond this, there is a huge umbrella of beliefs and ideas as to how best to raise our children. Add to this a mental health issue that leaves many medical professionals scratching their heads and you are […]
A Sister’s Perspective
By Samantha When we were younger, my sister was always there for me. She always took care of me. Whenever I had a bad dream as a kid, and I woke up shaking with my heart pounding, she was the one who I woke up to comfort me. She always made herself available to talk […]
What do we want? When do we want it?
by Laura Collins Lyster-Mensh, F.E.A.S.T. Executive Director For me, being an eating disorder advocate isn’t about feeling good. In fact, it doesn’t always feel good at all. I understand we have to rally people with positive messaging and build awareness. But let’s not forget: It’s about bringing change and progress. I know that makes me a […]
Families Should Be Conversant with Eating Disorders Research
by Michael P. Levine, Ph.D., FAED I was both honored and unsettled when Judy Krasna invited me to write about the direct importance for families of research-based knowledge regarding eating disorders (EDs). After all, for over 35 years—as an advocate, a researcher, a professor, and an author—I’ve been immersed in the roles played by different […]
Marriage and Warrior Energy
By an Around the Dinner Table Dad On being a dad… and a husband… I believe my core message and what I really want to get across is that I think men and women are fundamentally different when it comes to fighting eating disorders (ED). I think that men have been taught to be passive […]
The Gift of Empowerment
By Judy Krasna, F.E.A.S.T. Board Member and Parent Volunteer I would like to think that I am a competent mother. In fact, I was the mother that other mothers called when they needed to know what the math homework was, or what day parent teacher conferences were taking place, or what snack they needed to […]
My Job is to Empower Parents
by Abby Sarrett-Cooper My job is to empower parents to do the hardest job they can ever do – save their child’s life from the grips of an eating disorder. Many parents are in crisis when they contact me. They are terrified of what has happened to their child and acutely aware of the life-threatening […]