*Enjoy the break!*���If you find yourself still wanting to take it all in, please take a few moments to review an assortment of anonymous quotes from patients and families.��We will return to the next section at the time listed on your agenda for today’s conference.

16yo On The Role Of Athletic Coaches And Trainers

• “I feel like I got really lucky as far as coaches go, and athletic trainers at my school. I remember I had a really low moment once, last year when my eating disorder was really bad, and I was able to open up to one of the athletic trainers who was able to check in with me during some practices. Just creating an environment that can be really open and understanding between a coach and an athlete was really important, just because as far as safety goes, I’ve gained a really good understanding about how unsafe it is to exercise when you’re not physically stable as far as nutrition goes. Just creating a healthy space where someone can look after you.”

16yo On The Role Of Athletic Coaches And Trainers

• “Along with paying attention to what other athletes are saying to each other, and how difficult it can be especially in the warmer months, for people to wear less clothing and wear shorts, and some of the uniforms that people had to wear. I was constantly looking around and comparing myself to other people and just having coaches who can understand how difficult it can be, can be so important in allowing people to feel safe and healthy at the same time.”

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Mother on the Power of Taking Advantage of Multidisciplinary Programming

• “It takes a village. All of the different practitioners that she worked with – whether it was psychologists, or dietitians, or psychiatrists, or providers who created therapy groups or art therapy groups – all those things that your child can sign up for, they all play a part in recovery and building relationships with adults and other kids. Hearing other peoples’ stories – while you need to be careful about that and make sure there’s nothing triggering or any behavior that that student may inadvertently learn from other students – I do think those relationships with those other people and all those different styles can be helpful if your child can take bits and pieces of what they learn and implement them in their recovery.”

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Takeaways from a 16yo with AN

• “One of the biggest takeaways I have learned from my eating disorder journey so far is how difficult it can be to get the appropriate level of care in the state of Vermont. I have learned that recovery can take years and years. I have learned to believe in myself and find motivation when I thought I had none left. I have learned how important it is to educate providers about eating disorders and their effects on people. I have learned to expect people telling doubting how severe my eating disorder was, simply because of my weight. Most of all I have learned how important it is to bring awareness to all types of eating disorders.”

Parent on Finding the Right Team

• “The relationship that your child has with their primary therapist is really key. My daughter has had a range of people who have been helpful and not been very helpful, and when she raised these points initially I thought ‘oh let’s give it a chance, they need to get used to you or you need to get used to them’. But if your child is not getting along with somebody, find somebody else. Because if they’re not able to speak openly or feel comfortable, or if they feel pressured, or not represented – if they don’t feel respected by the clinician and maybe the advice they’re giving is completely wrong, you’ve got to listen to your child and hear what they’re saying.”

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Parents on Observations of Inequity Despite Self-Reported Privilege

• Parent 1: “I worry about access to care and a team based approach, affordable nutrition options, time commitments for appointments, and transportation, regardless of socio-economic status or other factors. We have been so fortunate to have the pieces fall into place, but are there ways to ensure this is the case for all?”
• Parent 2: “It’s so true. There were times when she was eating an entire avocado per day because that was the only fat we could get her to eat. She would get so upset when she saw us using oil or butter so we had to choose our battles while working with the dietitian to move up to a larger variety. Our grocery bills spiked like crazy, not to mention the inflation already occurring during COVID.”

16yo on the challenges of blind weights

• “Blind weights, although extremely difficult, are an important part of recovery. Often when deep in your eating disorder you become so fixated on the number of the scale. For me that number would dictate the rest of my day. if I saw the number increase, an intense amount of fear, guilt, anxiety, and shame would arise. I was a slave to the number on the scale. After being fixated on that number for so long blind weights (and no access to a scale) came with huge benefits and downfalls. My eating disorder thrived off of the number getting lower, and the control from knowing it. taking that away is terrifying. On the positive side, not knowing my weight made it easier to work on recovery. My eating disorder would tell me that I have gained weight, but I’d have no proof. I am currently still on blind weights, and am terrified to learn my weight. Blind weights have taken away the fixation on the scale and gave me some of my freedom back.”

Parent of Teen with Secondary Medical Trauma Stemming from Hospitalizations

• “Exposure therapy has done a lot – sometimes it takes a little coercing to do with the child – but I have seen the added benefit, definitely. Because the experience of our daughter’s recovery was trauma filled…to save her life. There was no other way.”