Last year, I had the great privilege of speaking at the St. Louis NEDA Walk. I spent quite a bit of time working on my speech and intended to share it here but never quite got around to posting it. I thought Eating Disorder Awareness Week would be a good time to share it.

Good morning everyone. My name is Ali. I am an eating disorder survivor. This is my first year at the walk and I am so inspired by this amazing group. It is such an honor to be here, to speak with you, to walk with you. I suffered with an eating disorder for over 30 years and I stand before you today Recovered, I’ve been Recovered for over a year now. To me, Recovered means I no longer have eating disorder thoughts or behaviors and I accept my body as it is.

Over the past year, I’ve grown from body acceptance to body love. I love what this body enables me to do. My body is my vehicle, my instrument. My body got me here today. It is my tool that gives me the means to speak with you, connect with you, walk with you. My body helps me play with my kids, go to the park, hike, connect with friends, laugh. I am so grateful for all the experiences this body has given me and continues to give me.

I got involved with MOEDA about a year and a half ago. At the time, I was at the tail end of my recovery. I hadn’t had eating disorder thoughts or behaviors for several months and accepted my body as it was, but it was still new and a little scary and if I’m being completely honest, part of me was afraid those thoughts and behaviors might try to come back.

I wanted to do something to fortify my recovery. I wanted to do something positive that would strengthen my resolve and give me more confidence as a newly Recovered person. What kept popping up was: Speak! Get involved! Give back! Share your story.

There are so many of us out there (over 30 million Americans and over 575,000 Missourians suffer from an eating disorder). And let’s be honest, that number is probably low. Only one out of every ten people with an eating disorder seeks treatment. One person out of ten seeks treatment. That means millions of people suffer in silence.

Shame thrives in silence.

Eating disorders thrive in silence.

I didn’t want to be silent anymore. I was ready to stand in the light and be who I was: A proud eating disorder survivor.

During my recovery, listening to other people vulnerably and courageously share their stories helped me unlock parts of my own story. Their bravery and willingness to speak their truth helped give me a language to identify, communicate and heal.

No one’s had the exact same experience because eating disorders affect people of all demographics and we all see the world through different lenses. But there are bits and pieces of each of our stories that might help someone else unlock a part, or parts, of their story.

We all have a story. And our stories matter. You matter. Your experience matters. Your voice matters.

MOEDA’s Feed the Facts program gives me a platform to use my voice. To share my story. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, Feed the Facts is an Eating Disorder Awareness Program that MOEDA takes to middle and high schools in and around the St. Louis area.

I’ve had the great privilege of giving several Feed the Facts presentations. Going into those classrooms and having very real, very vulnerable, incredibly open and honest conversations about eating disorders has been nothing short of transformative. Not only for the students, who ask incredibly articulate and insightful questions, but for me as well.

I am stronger today because of the work and the experiences I’ve had doing the Feed the Facts presentations. Doing these presentations has shown me the power and potency of my voice. That what I do, what I say and how I treat people matters. By sharing our stories and adding context to the facts in the presentation we give students a clear understanding that eating disorders are serious and complex mental illness with dangerous medical complications. That eating disorders are not a choice and that anyone, men, women, big small, old, young can suffer from an eating disorder. We also share the important message that a full recovery from an eating disorder is possible.

Thank you all so much for being here and for your warm welcome!

*If you would like to learn more about MOEDA’s Feed the Facts program please check out the MOEDA website at http://moeatingdisorders.org/feed-the-facts