Dying for acceptance – Part I
67% of Millard West students say they are or have been on a diet.
| 67 % of Millard West students say they’ve dieted at some point in their lives. | While 33 % say they’ve never dieted. |
*Names have been changed to protect the individuals
Teachers lecturing, feet tapping against the multi-colored carpet, and fingers tapping away at computer keys. Just another day.
The digital clock says 12:20. Ten minutes until lunch. Mr. Roberts* begins to walk around the large Computer Application classroom, visiting each hand being raised. When all the typing briefly stops, you can softly hear the grumble of stomachs, almost speaking for themselves as if to say, “it’s time for a break, and some serious refueling.”
As the time ticks by, Mr. Roberts finally gives the okay, “You all can leave for lunch, but be back in time.”
Chairs are immediately pushed back, brushing against the carpeted ground and suddenly a wave of chatter fills the classroom. Less than a minute later, the room is completely empty except for one seat in the upper left hand corner of the room.
“You going to lunch?” Mr. Roberts asks.
“No, I’m not hungry,” says Naomi*cheerfully.
“Well, see you in a bit,” says Mr. Roberts.
As the wooden door snaps shut, Naomi’s cheerful smile turns into a depressing frown.
Naomi thinks good, no one caught you, only a few more hours until you can sleep.
Moments later in the silence of the room, an enormous wave of gurgling erupts from Naomi’s empty stomach. She squeezes in pain, but decides not to listen to her hunger. Naomi’s goal is a mere size zero.
Once you get home you can have eight grapes and eight pretzels. Then you’ll be satisfied, she thinks.
The voice inside her head isn’t just some unusual phase she’s going through. According to the National Organization for Women (NOW) Foundation ten million women and one million men in the U.S. alone will fight this life-threatening disease.
Anorexia.
One of the school counselors, Susan Hancock has talked to many students with eating disorders.
“You realize, just like any other addiction, it’s deeper than just not eating. There’s a root to the problem. At the beginning when I first started as a counselor, eating disorders were hardly talked about and were very secretive. Most people didn’t think it was a disease,” Hancock said.
As Naomi hears the bell ring, she feels exhilarated knowing she’s skipped another meal. Passing the variety of cliques throughout the hallway, Naomi has only minutes till her next class, but she doesn’t know if she will get there in time. Feeling weak, she doesn’t know if she has the motivation to make it to her next class. The short walk seems like a marathon.
With a shaky body, she takes her first step up the stairs. As she Naomi reaches the third step, she feels a light tap on her blue T-shirt.
“Hey, can I carry your books?” asks Naomi’s closest friend Thomas*. Before she can even answer, he grabs the books from her thin arms and they walk up in pure silence.
As they reach the last concrete step, Naomi grips the dark green railing for support, suddenly feeling a wave of dizziness overtake her whole body. Blinking rapidly, she comes back to focus, to find her friend’s face centimeters from her.
Thomas abruptly grabs Naomi’s protruding collar bone and tells her, “ Ewwwww…. you look gross! You need to stop!”
And he suddenly shoves the books in her arms and walks angrily away.
Anger. Rage.
She wants Thomas to accept the new thinner person she has become. After all, she hasn’t eaten a full meal in months and she wants people to notice her. Sadly, along with this new appearance, comes a life of loneliness and isolation.
Eventually reaching the hard seat in her classroom, Naomi sinks her bony body into the uncomfortable chair and notices more bruises on her body that were not there yesterday. She hardly even hears her teacher speaking. She cannot concentrate on Mr. Cary’s* ruby lips or what they are saying.
Naomi, still oblivious to her surroundings, barely notices Ms. Cary place a small white slip of paper on her desk with early dismissal written above her name. Surprised, Naomi comes back to reality and reads the slip.
2:25 dismissal-doctor.
Doctor? Naomi thinks with an eye roll. Whatever, must just have forgotten.
She scoops up her books tiredly and quietly leaves the classroom, not caring about what she needs to makeup for her class.
Reaching her family’s light blue Wrangler, she can already make out her mom sternly glaring at her. Naomi sets her books in the back right hand seat, and slides smoothly into the passenger side. Gray leather seats cozily relax her bruised back.
“Why are we going to the doctor?” she asks.
Naomi’s mother purses her lips and sadly looks at her daughter’s face.
“I’m taking you somewhere to get some help…”
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If you think you or someone you know is dealing with an eating disorder, here are some resources that might help:
*The National Eating Disorders Association has a Monday-Friday helpline. Call them at 1-800-931-2237 or look up advice on their website at http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/.
*The Children’s Hospital and Medical Center has a program that specializes in eating disorders: http://www.childrensomaha.org/body.cfm?id=180
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