My Letter

I wanted to post something I wrote from my heart to those who are suffering from eating disorders. I wrote it for the end of my book and you can find it there next to the pictures, but I wanted to share it on my blog.

If you have a friend or family member who you think it struggling with an eating disorder please feel free to print this off and share it with them. It might help them know that they aren't alone and there is someone who truly understands their pain.


To those who are suffering:
I speak to you with all sincerity from the deepest part of my heart. I truly understand your anguish and battle over this substance named food. I acknowledge that not everyone with Anorexia or other eating disorders has the same experience, but I speak from what I know.

First and foremost, I plead for you to go to someone with your problem. Get professional help. This disease will not stop without treatment. Do not believe that you can heal alone. For months I tried with every ounce of energy inside myself to overcome the mental monster that taunted each bite, but I still lost weight and grew increasingly ill. I allowed the disorder to control me until, according to all medical understanding, I should have died. It did literally kill me, and only by the will and power of our Father in Heaven was I permitted to continue my journey on Earth. Do not allow this disease to bind you to that depth of physical catastrophe.

Know that no number on the scale or size on a label is small enough to give you joy. Do not allow yourself to fall into the belief that “If I lose five more pounds, I will be happy.” This notion is false and destructive. I know, because at 85 pounds I was more miserable and lost than at the healthier size I was after recovery and am today.

I know there is a battle within you. A part of you wants to get healthy and stop the deprivation, and part of you doesn’t. Trust my words: you want to heal. There is life more glorious than you can imagine waiting for you. You need to heal to be capable of enjoying it.


I know how the disorder becomes part of your identity, who you think you are. You may feel, “Who am I, if I’m not an anorexic?” You need to find a passion, a purpose. Make that a part of your identity and leave the disorder behind.

You are worthy of all nourishment and health. Thinness is not perfection. You don’t need to be perfect; allow yourself to be human. Recognize that your sorrow is not about food, but about deeper issues. Get treatment for them. Learn to love yourself and love your body.


You are unique, beautiful, and loved by many, including our God and His son Jesus Christ. Even if you doubt their Deity, know that I know they love you, and know you personally. You have great worth and a purpose, an individual plan that only you can complete. Get the assistance you need to heal and achieve it.

(published in A Future for Tomorrow by Haley Freeman)