Category: Anorexia

As my 75th birthday approaches at the end of December 2025, I find myself standing at a gentle crossroads. It’s time to loosen my grip on one chapter of life so I can step more freely into the next. Eating disorders have been woven through my life since I was...

Guilt is a complicated concept. It is a noun, a verb, and an emotion, usually used to refer to having done something wrong. There is the guilt associated with having committed a crime against society, and then there is the guilt we place on ourselves for not being perfect–or in...

It is surprising how life can change. A storm, a diagnosis. Two years ago, I was driving on the motorway, torrential rain pouring down, making it hard to see anything. Summer and I were on our way home, following a specialist’s appointment, trying to figure out what was going on...

Why this relationship matters There are many kinds of relationships that steady a life: family, friends, cherished companions (including the furry ones). Then there are the few who become anchors for the work we feel called to do. For almost two decades, Professor Daniel Le Grange has been one of...

Home sweet home. The suitcase and backpack are back on their shelf; a Japanese cat magnet grins on the fridge. The weeping cherry in the front garden is bursting into blossom, and the cats—fresh from their holiday at the Cat Cave—are auditioning for extra snacks. Travel expands me, yes—and coming...

I am often asked if I plan to write another book.  My answer is, “No, I’m living my next chapter.”  Four years have passed since the publication of my memoir, The Longest Match: Rallying to Defeat an Eating Disorder in Midlife.  Now is a good time to write about that...

Recently, I looked through years and years of old family photographs. I’d seen these pictures before, but this time was different. I didn’t begin looking at them with my eating disorder in mind, but as I watched myself grow from an infant to a toddler to a schoolgirl to a...

About six weeks from now, I will be 70 years old. 70! That feels like a big number, signifying that I have been on this planet for seven decades and entering the eighth. I can hardly believe it! I certainly don’t feel that old, whatever that means. Ten years ago...

For almost 20 years, I have been writing about eating disorders, recovery, and self-discovery. I have drawn on my experience and the voices of many others who have travelled the same path. This week, I’m writing about something different. At 74, I am preparing for something that feels as new...

For many years, anorexia was my protector. For many years, from age 11, I did not know I had an illness called anorexia. I mean, I thought I was me. Period. Sure, I’d been feeling very anxious about things happening around me; things beyond my control. And then what seemed...