"You know, this is a disease your daughter could struggle with for the next twenty years." the pediatrician said , hanging his solace face downward.
I stood, horrified at such a suggestion. I was speechless for the first time in my life.
as I walked out of his office a voice inside of me kept saying. "not my daughter. Not Melanie"
The moment we got in the car, I turned to my daughter and said, "He's wrong. This disease is not going to have it's grip on you for twenty years. You are a strong-willed young woman; a fighter.We will both fight this thing together. I will never give up on you."
That was the first time a medical professional had diagnosed Melanie with an eating disorder. There would be several other professionals that would warn us of the long journey ahead.
I didn't want to believe them, and I definitely didn't want my daughter to hear those discouraging words over and over again.
But those caring individuals were only trying to prepare us with insight. They were not giving us false hope. They were not feeding into our denial of the scope and seriousness of Anorexia and Bulimia.
Six years and twenty-seven hospitalizations later, I am ecstatic to be here to tell you that there is, indeed, another side to this disease. There is a way out. There is hope.