We are Beautiful Magazine WRBM Jan Feb 2018 Issue | Page 39

https://www.facebook.com/holly.wade.35
In 2014, my health took a drastic spiral. Stress was the culprit and hit my life in
every aspect: financial, relationships, career, housing, social life.
My family lived in Nebraska and I lived in Virginia so my support system wasn’t
nearby. I loved my co-workers, but when you’re sick, you need family and not co-
workers to come help you out.
My body became completely emaciated. I got to where I couldn’t keep food down
so I started to purge to ease the massive pain in my gut. Then I’d go to bed, get up
and start the next day again.
I had traveled home for Thanksgiving and my family was in shock. My uncles even
interceded and were willing to figure out SOME way to get me to Mayo Clinic.
I went back to JMU, gave my resignation, and started to prepare to move back
home at semester.
In the meantime, I found The Eating Recovery Center in Denver, 5 hours from
home. It’s the best treatment center for eating disorders in the world! I contacted
them and within a week had an admittance date.
I started to think that I really DID have an eating disorder and that my fear of food
was something besides physical. And I knew from previous hospitalizations that I’d
be sent home with no guidance on refeeding my body. I know enough to be danger-
ous sometimes and I knew that there is a delicate balance in refeeding the body in
a healthy way. I needed experts to help me and the ERC provided that.
I ended up in the hospital for 4 months. I DID have to face my worst fear: surgery.
Talk about a leap of faith! I had NO IDEA what the result would be. They couldn’t
get clear images so the doctors really didn’t know what they were dealing with.
My surgical team examined my intestines inch by inch. They found eight areas
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