My name is Leina, I am 20 years old, and since I was about 12 years old I felt conscious about my body. I thought I was fat, so me and my best friend would encourage each other to not eat and we would say that food was “the devil”. Later on I eventually started eating a lot, but after I would vomit. It became really bad where any time I ate a meal I felt so sick that I had to throw up even if I didn’t want to. I was about 17 when I got into some trouble and I was sentenced to 6 months to a placement home called Crittenton. I met Sarah Tostado there, and we would have sessions to talk about my emotional health and my eating disorder. I really loved meeting with her, she made me feel proud to be who I am no matter how I felt about myself. But not only that, she really educated me on the damage that I was doing to my body every time I starved myself and when I threw up. I think that scared me the most knowing what I was doing to my throat and my teeth and knowing what was happening to me on the inside. I really enjoyed talking to her a lot because she was not only a counselor, but to me she was a friend that I could open up and talk to. Sarah really taught me how to love myself, and I am so thankful and happy to have had the privilege of her time and care for me. She changed my life! To this day I no longer want to vomit and even though I am not completely happy with the way I look, I still am OK with myself and eating food. I weigh about 115lbs, and I don’t think I’m fat because I’m not. But I just don’t know how things would be if I didn’t get the help at the time that I did from Sarah. She is amazing!
-Leina