“When I was in the second grade, that was the first time someone called me fat.”

For senior Lauren Tisdale this began the downward spiral of the disorder that controlled her diet and consumed her body. It wasn’t until last April that Lauren was given a name for what she was struggling with.

The diagnosis finally gave Lauren a direction to beat her illness.

Anorexia.

Anorexia is a disorder that two out of 100 teenagers struggle with; this disease causes a fear of weight gain and a distorted view of body size and shape causing extreme measures to be taken such as dieting, fasting, or exercise to an unhealthy degree.

For Lauren, this disease meant her daily meals consisted of a fruit cup in the morning and a scoop of peanut butter after school. Paired with the struggles of properly eating, Lauren also struggled with depression, anxiety and even self-harm.

“I couldn’t eat without feeling this guilt,” she said. “And in the darkest part of this illness, I was cutting myself, hitting myself and calling myself bad things.”

This didn’t change until a doctor’s visit for an injury she received by simply slipping on ice. That slip turned into an opportunity for Lauren to talk to a professional.

“I originally went there for my [injury], but I just started crying,” She said “I told my doctor how I thought I was crazy, and that I was literally killing myself and I needed help.”

Getting help has changed everything for Lauren; her family is supportive, she is able to place her trust in God, she can now confide in a counselor, and she has even started a blog where she talks about her struggle of recovering from the illness that once had such a strong grip on her life.

“I decided that I wanted it out there,” she said. “If I could just help one person and let them know that this can be beat and they are not alone out there.”

Today Lauren’s life has changed, and while she still struggles with this illness it no longer controls her, she controls it.

“Everyone has their struggles and demons,” she said. “But eventually those voices will be so minute that I won’t be bothered anymore.”