photo via Shelby Brown
Starting at Markin Family and Recreation Center, Bradley students and members of the Peoria community strode together in the second annual National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Walk to promote awareness for eating disorders.
The event took place last Saturday and was sponsored by Caterpillar Inc., Kappa Delta sorority, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and The Body Project.
According to Danielle Glassmeyer, faculty coordinator for The Body Project, approximately 150 Bradley students and members of the Peoria community came to the walk because of their own struggles with eating disorders or to show support for those affected.
“[Statistically], it would be shocking if people don’t know somebody [with an eating disorder],” Glassmeyer, associate professor of English and coordinator of undergraduate studies, said. “And that’s sort of the goal [of the walk], is for people to start thinking more critically about [eating disorders].
Glassmeyer said the NEDA Walk is meant to help others understand eating disorders and how they manifest in people, but also to see the signs in friends and family around them.
“I had conversations with a few people who were … talking about an old roommate that they had that they said ‘Oh, I bet [the old roommate] had an eating disorder, and I never knew what that was,’” Glassmeyer said. “So [there are] a lot of folks who, because of the awareness and the recognition that the walk brings, and the conversations that get started.”
Glassmeyer said money was raised and donated to the National Eating Disorders Associate for research of eating disorders, to help advocacy and provide resources to those who want to learn more.
Tim Bromley, eating disorders program manager and director of behavioral health at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, spoke to the audience about the medical aspects of eating disorders, as well as the treatment programs.
Other speakers included Bradley students Ashley Fetch and Genevieve Prushinski, who spoke about their personal experiences with eating disorders and how they recovered.
For Fetch, speaking at the NEDA Walk was important to her because of her own experience with an eating disorder in the past.
“For me, being able to share my story is a huge step, but [speaking is] also [about] just letting other people know that recovery is possible, and have an eating disorder doesn’t necessarily define [a person],” Fetch said.
Like Glassmeyer, Fetch hoped the walk provided students and the Peoria community in attendance any information that could help them understand the illnesses more.
“I [hope people now have] general knowledge that eating disorders are a real problem, and they pose a problem everywhere, including Bradley’s campus,” Fetch said. “Also, [to] the people that are struggling, recovery is possible, and the people are not alone that are struggling.”
For more information about eating disorders, visit NEDA’s website at https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org or The Body Project’s website at https://www.bradley.edu/sites/bodyproject
To receive help for an eating disorder or symptoms of an eating disorder, contact Bradley’s Counseling services at (309) 677-2700 to schedule an appointment.
