january 29 - february 4 | 2014
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Recovery in sight www.wangarattachronicle.com.au
circulating in wangaratta, myrtleford, bright, mt beauty, beechworth, yackandandah, rutherglen, chiltern and districts
By KYLIE WILSON
LONG JOURNEY:
Morgan Bennett, who lives with anorexia nervosa, said the road to recovery is a long and gradual process. PHOTO: Kylie Wilson
GARDENING WITH
ALY
RSPCA
FILM
WILLOW
MAN
WITH
THE RAILWAY
WINE TALK WITH
ANITA
IT took the concern of her friends and family for Wangaratta’s Morgan Bennett to recognise she was suffering from an eating disorder. During 2011, she was busy and working long hours, and some of those close to her had expressed concern about her health. But it was not until she began passing in and out of consciousness that she began to realise the true effects of her weight loss – she was living with anorexia nervosa. A week before her 21st birthday, her mother Judy took her to outpatients and admitted her, and treatment began. Her condition, combined with body dysmorphia and a constant drive to exercise, was a potent mix. “I could not see that I’d lost a lot of weight,” she said. Morgan said that growing up, “I always saw skinny as an ideal”, but added there was no one cause for her illness. “It doesn’t come on overnight, and it’s not a choice,” she said. “People say, ‘just eat’, but it’s not that easy.” In the years that have followed Morgan has had nine hospital admissions, but said she continues to take small steps towards recovery. For her, planning occasional public outings and expressing her feelings through various art projects are some of her coping strategies. “It’s different for everyone,” she said. continued page |
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