A teen’s fight against Female Athlete Triad: ‘Getting healthy is harder than getting in shape’

I’m a varsity student athlete at Western Reserve Academy and am from Hudson.

I’ve been a girl transported by an ambulance 5 times due to an eating disorder. During my freshman year of high school (2016), I developed an a eating disorder called Female Athlete Triad, which caused me lose 35 pounds, my hair and my period for over a year.

Only eating 700 calories a day, I still thought I would run faster with every pound I could possibly lose. Common in sports with slim competitors, Female Athlete Triad can affect 16-47% of these athletes.

This is a relatively new disorder to the medical field, and it took me a year to get my official diagnosis. Fortunately, Dr. Jessica Castonguay at Akron Children’s (Adolescent Medicine) was able to provide me with my diagnosis.

I am now recovering. My diet has been expanded, I have been working on my food phobias and am currently running cross country.

I just earned a personal best in the 5,000 meters so I’m on my way to full recovery.

I want this story to bring awareness to this condition. I have started a blog called Liv to Tri, and I would like to educate as many girls as possible in the coming year. My goal is life is to be the only girl to have been transported by an ambulance 5 times due to her F.A.T. I wouldn’t wish this disorder on anyone.

I want this story to expose others to the dangers on F.A.T. To all the female athletes who have this, I encourage you to get help and to seek treatment. I now know the hardest thing I’ve ever done was not getting in shape. It was actually getting healthy.