Guest Blogger Maryann Margheim is a 27 year-old native Californian. Serving vulnerable and underrepresented populations has always been her life goal. She is currently studying for her Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Southern California and has taken a recent interest in public policy.
Last year I met Nova, a 10 year-old girl, who was referred to my agency for somatic symptoms of headaches and tummy aches. During our free time, Nova would look at teen magazines. I noticed that she idolized the overly thin and made up teen girls telling me “if only I could look perfect on the outside, no one would know I wasn’t perfect on the inside.” Nova’s eating disorder and negative self-thoughts are unfortunately only one story out of the 24 million pre-teens currently suffering with this type of disorder in the U.S.
One of the reasons I have connected so deeply with Nova is because her story brought back memories from my own personal struggle with anorexia. Growing up in a turbulent home, full of chaos, I fought for any way to control my environment. Withholding food from myself was the only control I had over the only part of my environment I could control, my body.
At the age of nine, my parents took me to my pediatrician for malnourishment. I remember the doctor telling my parents that this was attention-seeking behavior, and eventually I would eat. Anorexia haunted me until my early 20s, and I presume, without necessary intervention, Nova’s eating disorder will continue to affect her, too. Looking back, I wonder why none of my teachers, principles, coaches, or school counselors ever intervened. It seems inconceivable that school officials were unaware of eating disorders, or were never educated on how to assist a student affected by an eating disorder. Either way, I know that I fell through the cracks so I want to do whatever I can to ensure that Nova doesn’t have to fall through the cracks.
That’s why I am so passionate about a new bill before Congress. H.R. 36: The Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act would create programs and procedures to assist children in the school setting who have been or are currently affected by issues relating to eating disorders. Recent studies have revealed girls - and boys - as young as age eight are seeking treatment for eating disorders which means we have to get to them early.
If H.R. 36 is passed into law, it would require all public schools to train teachers, school nurses, school social workers, coaches, school counselors, and administrators on effective eating disorder prevention and assistance methods for children and youth with these disorders. Currently, no programs in public schools make these types of resources readily available to all children and youth on a national level. Upon becoming a law, children and youth could receive comprehensive services, all built in within their school day, without limitations due to transportation, financial limits, time, etc.
As a female scholar myself, there is nothing I hold with greater respect than the lives, educational advancement, and well-being of all children in the education system, especially young girls. That's why I feel we have a social obligation to pass H.R. 36 into law in order to provide awareness, prevention, and education to save the young lives of individuals who become victims of eating disorders. I was lucky. But I don't want Nova or any other young girl suffering from an eating disorder to have to count on luck to save her life. Please contact your Congressional representation today and ask them to support H.R. 36.
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