Bulimia

This is based on a true story.

Teenage years came be the hardest is in a young adult's life. You go through peer pressure, trying to understand your changing body, and doing your best to make it through high school. I went to an all girls catholic school and to some it may sound like the worst experience ever but it was one of the best years of my life. I was very social so I was involve in pretty much everything. My friend who went to a coed public school had the complete opposite experience that I did. I am not here to compare and contrast catholic and public school but I do want to share a story of bad habits that can be formed due to influence from friends and surrounding environment.

My friend Nancy, who went to the public school, was so beautiful. Just about every boy you asked wanted her to be boyfriend. She was tall, fair and thin. She was an aspiring model and everyone felt she would make it big. I would walk to Nancy's school after I got out of mine and we would walk to my house together. Nancy would usually stay at my house till her mother came to pick her up after she got out of work. So you can imagine that we spent a lot of time together after school and we shared so many secrets. One day after school, I was complaining that I needed to lose a few pounds and asked Nancy if she would go on a diet with me. She agreed and really inspired me throughout the course of our short diet. I lost 5 lbs and Nancy lost 15 lb. For someone who was already thin, it really showed when she lost the 15 lbs. I didn't understand how she lost all that weight when we ate pretty much the same things but I just figured she had a much faster metabolism than I did. One day after school, Nancy started crying and couldn't stop crying while we were walking home. I kept asking her what was wrong and she found it difficult to say. After she calmed down, she confessed that she had been throwing up. My heart staying racing and I asked her if she was pregnant. She said no and she further explained that she purposely throws up after she finishes every meal. 

I felt like the cause of her bulimia, forcing her into a diet she didn't need for my selfish reasons. Nancy later explained that she doesn't feel beautiful as everyone makes her out to be and she has been insecure about her physical features. Nancy knew she needed help but she didn't know how to go about it. She made me promise not to tell anyone. Till this day, I have never said anything to anyone and I have always regretted it.

Nancy never made it to modeling. Nancy never made it out of high school. Her sickness got worse. She grew into an introvert and we grew apart. The last thing I heard about Nancy was that she moved to Nevada with her family. Whenever I think about her, I only hope that she is alive and doing well.

Unfortunately this is not a happy story. It is a story of warning. Do not do what I did. If you know anyone suffering from this type of disease, seek help for them.