More than one hundred people of all shapes, sizes, genders and races took to West State Street Park on Saturday to support one another and raise money for eating disorder awareness and treatment.
The second National Eating Disorder Awareness Walk in Athens was on a windy, chilly morning, but it raised thousands of dollars for eating disorder research and survivor advocacy. The walk included testimonies on recovery, crafts, a silent auction and more.
The day began when Shelby Martin, a graduate student studying clinical psychology and the organizer of the NEDA Walk, addressed the crowd. She thanked participants for coming, the student organizations involved and the event sponsors, which included Ohio University’s Women’s and LGBT centers and Aerie, NEDA’s national sponsor. The day’s event, Martin said, was about raising funds, redefining beauty and making some noise.
Following Martin’s welcome, the group was treated to a gentle yoga flow led by Liz Chamberlain, who owns Bodhi Tree Guesthouse & Studio. As she led the group in breathing exercises and sun salutations, Chamberlain said she has dedicated much of her professional life to yoga because it has been a source of comfort and self-love for her.
“It naturally starts to cultivate a sense of care for the life that is right here,” she said to the crowd, pointing to her heart.
Following the yoga practice, Jennifer Yoder, a lecturer in OU's College of Health Sciences and Professions, shared her personal story on her own recovery from an eating disorder. She spoke especially on the importance and sometimes difficulty of addressing not only the physical aspects of recovery, but the mental and spiritual aspects as well.
“Working on these areas can get messy,” Yoder said. “We are asked to bring back memories from the past that have caused us great pain and shame, and we’re asked to explore these areas without reverting back to our eating disorder. But the good thing about this is we don’t have to do it all at once and it’s not meant to be done all alone.”
Yoder said throughout her recovery, she found particular comfort in •support groups of others struggling with disordered eating. Talking with people who easily understand the special difficulties of eating disorders gave her a feeling of relief that was different than when she spoke with others in her support network.
“Support groups allow you to practice empathy,” she said. “The beauty of empathy is that is does not ask us to solve each other’s problems. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Empathy is sitting with someone in their darkest moments and being with them in the pain.”
Selena Baker, a Wellworks nutrition counselor who works with patients struggling with eating disorders, was the last speaker of the day, and addressed the importance for people to focus on being more generous and kind to themselves.
The opening ceremony finished with rousing applause from the crowd after a performance by women’s a cappella group Title IX, which performed “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac and “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera.
Participants then took a short walk around West State Street Park led by members of The Positivity Project, a student organization dedicated to promoting positive body image.
Martin said she was excited with the turnout for the event, and the group was on track to meet its fundraising goal of $7,500.
“It’s just great to see people excited, coming all together and just seem to be really enjoying themselves,” she said. “It’s just really cool when you see this many people in one place supporting a cause, no matter what the cause is.”
Ava Jones, a senior studying music education, attended the NEDA Walk for the first time this year and particularly enjoyed the speakers’ shared words of positivity and encouragement.
“As someone that’s recovered from an eating disorder, it just felt really nice to have an event that celebrated that and celebrated other people also recovering,” she said. “It’s something that I think affects more people than we realize and it’s just nice to not feel like you’re the only person.”
