Bailey is modeling the Chic Gems
Affirmation Necklace with Believe

Meet Chic Gems Gal Bailey Monarch
I admire Bailey for her courage to share her struggle and triumph over Anorexia.

Bailey's Story
Around this time last year, I was diagnosed with a terrible disease that, sadly, kills over 480,000 Americans each year: anorexia nervosa.
While all of the other teenagers my age were enjoying those unforgettable teenage years, I was struggling to survive. 

I did not choose to have an eating disorder; my eating disorder chose me.
During my junior year of high school, I was forced to fight for my life and by no means was it easy. My eating disorder controlled me. My eating disorder was what determined what I could eat. My eating disorder was what told me that I was not beautiful and that no one loved me. My eating disorder was the reason I wanted to go to bed and never wake up. It made me think I was worthless. It robbed me of my self-confidence, joyful personality, social life, and passion for ballet. I was on death’s door; I was severely underweight and as a result my hair was falling out, my foot was paralyzed, my nails were blue from lack of circulation, and my heart was orthostatic. On top of all that, I had a fatally low heart rate and blood pressure; my heart could have stopped beating at any moment. And they thought it was going to. But there was just one problem: I was not ready to give up my life!

As soon as I made up my mind that I was going to regain control of my life and recover from my eating disorder, nothing could stop me.
I won my battle against my eating disorder, now it is time for me to help others fight theirs. No human being should ever have to endure the pain and suffering that my family and I had to face, and I have now devoted my life to helping those who are suffering. Children as young as six years old are being diagnosed with anorexia! I am worried if we don’t start talking about this disease we will have a generation of children with eating disorders.

So I made up my mind that I was going to start using my voice to raise awareness and hopefully prevent others from traveling down this path.
I had to do something to end the silence!

I started using my voice at the University of Florida last February during Eating Disorder Awareness week. This was the first time I publicly spoke about my battle with anorexia.  That following March I lobbied in Tallahassee, FL for mental health parity for eating disorders.  This past September I lobbied in Washington D.C. for the FREED (Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders) Act, a comprehensive bill on eating disorders addressing research, treatment, education and prevention. I spoke to congressmen and senators about the necessity of passing this act as it greatly impacts the treatment of those with eating disorders. But I wanted to do more. 

June of 2010, I decided to start a NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) walk, because there were none in Florida.  I contacted NEDA and signed up to organize a walk for the Tampa Bay area.  I spent the last six months planning the walk, obtaining getting the venue, developing marketing packages, and getting publicity. I worked alongside with High Hopes in High Heels and together we recruited volunteers, secured sponsorships and in-kind donations, publicized the event, recruited walkers, and, most importantly, made sure that my goal, to raise awareness of eating disorders, was achieved.

My main goal in coordinating the first NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) Walk in the Tampa Bay area was to raise awareness of eating disorders and potentially prevent others from developing an eating disorder like I did. Prior to the event, my goal for the walk was to raise $25,000 for NEDA and have 200 walkers. But Tampa Bay went above and beyond, and the community united together, raising over $33,000 for NEDA with 350 walkers.

Click here to read the Tampa Bay Online Article about Bailey
Click here to watch the Fox 13 video with Bailey
Click here to read the Tampa Bay Skirt.com article about Bailey

Thank you for reading!
Please join Bailey in her mission to break the silence of eating disorders
by joining NEDA today.

Best,
Sarah
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