Welcome back to This Person I Met! My name is Kayla, and I'm the host of this podcast.

Following Judith, the founder of Center for Eating Disorders in Ann Arbor who starred in the previous segment, it seemed as if new perspectives could be incorporated in order to gain a better understanding of the increasingly prevalent issue at hand: disordered eating.

While many may know textbook knowledge based on internet think pieces and middle school health classes, it is all too often that when we are faced with helping someone struggling with an eating disorder, we do not know what to do. People cannot be read like articles on the internet or vague social media posts. Unfortunately, they cannot be treated and supported simply based on the quotes you see when you google “what to say if my loved one might be struggling with an eating disorder.” Eating disorders are different for everybody. Some may want advice and a shoulder to lean on during worse episodes. Some may just want an ear to listen. For parents of children with eating disorders, the issue of how to spot, help, and alleviate becomes increasingly difficult as they try to grapple with the nuance of the situation and the individuality of their child.

In this segment, a parent will share their perspective on how an eating disorder made its way into their daughter and the aftermath of its destruction.