By Rebecca Krause
For most, it’s a difficult topic to discuss. For others, it’s a life-saving topic that needs to be addressed.
Whether it’s a full-blown bout with anorexia, bulimia, a binge-eating disorder, or a mixture of equally life-threatening symptoms and behaviors classified as Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS), one in five women will grapple with disordered eating at some point in her life.
Most of us have known someone with an eating disorder–the girl sitting next to us in class, a friend of a friend, a spouse, a daughter, or even ourselves–but it’s difficult to imagine that only one-tenth of those women will ever receive the treatment she needs.
Not only is recovery a vast, daunting idea for someone struggling to get through an average day, but for most, it’s not even affordable. A single day of inpatient treatment costs a staggering $1,000 on average–the equivalent of one month’s rent in the outer boroughs of New York City. So no matter how much someone may want or deserve to recover from an eating disorder, in most cases, it’s simply not an option.
In late 2006, three friends–Ellen Schieren, Sara Nassimi, and Lallie Harling–were struck by this growing need for more affordable treatment options. Eating disorders had been close to each of their hearts for some time, and while they knew that there was a wealth of treatment and prevention services in the New York metropolitan area, most of those services were inaccessible to the people who needed them most. It became the personal mission of these three women to provide resources that were so widely needed and deserved, and thus, the seed for Reaching Out Against Eating Disorders (ROAED) was sewn.
Reaching Out Against Eating Disorders is a not-for-profit organization created to provide more accessible and affordable help for those affected by eating disorders in the New York metropolitan area and on Long Island. Our mission is to help those facing eating disorders, as well as their families and friends, while working toward prevention and awareness through community education.
Once the brainchild of three hopeful friends, the ROAED family is now comprised of over 40 volunteers working tirelessly toward a common mission. Over the past three and a half years, ROAED has provided continued resources to combat a mounting epidemic. In our short history, we’ve helped hundreds of eating disorder sufferers and their loved ones through weekly support groups in Manhattan and Long Island, a mentoring program, referral services, educational workshops, presentations, yoga, and access to dance therapy sessions–all services that are free of charge.
In spite of organizations like ROAED, the battle against eating disorders is still far from won. The daily calls to ROAED from sufferers and their loved ones continue to pour in at more staggering rates than our current support group space can accommodate. Though we’d like to help everyone, right now our resources limit us from doing so.
Our goals for the year have grown tenfold with this sobering epidemic and, in addition to more support groups, we hope to establish a group of eating disorder therapists that volunteer one hour of pro bono therapy per week, initiate group therapy meetings for a drastically reduced rate of $10.00 to $15.00 per session, and offer more diverse workshops and presentations with a focus on eating disorder awareness and recovery.
Additional and upcoming events include “Journey to Hope,” an all-day workshop on Saturday, March 20th, held in conjunction with Rochester Adolescent Mentoring Service (RAMS) for mothers, fathers, spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends or other loved ones of those suffering from an eating disorder. Then, in May, ROAED will host its first fundraising benefit, featuring a fashion show, guest speakers, cocktails, hors d’oerves, and a silent auction.
To further answer the call of prevention, awareness, and the need for additional services, ROAED is ecstatic to now be a regular contributor to Hopscotch. In the coming months, we’ll start an ongoing dialogue with Hopscotch readers about eating disorder recovery through monthly updates of our services and progress, voices from those who have recovered, enlightening articles, as well as a segment on empowering parents to recognize the signs and be proactive in helping children overcome their eating disorder.
In the meantime, for more information about the services and events above, check out our website or join our fan page on Facebook.
If you know of someone suffering with an eating disorder and you are not within ROAED’s New York City radius, contact National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders (ANAD), or Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (FEAST). Also contact Rebecca Krause, Vice President of Referrals for more information.
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