Letters to the Editor
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The reality
I think about it now and, of course, it's a no brainer. I would not sacrifice my health to lose weight. When I quit smoking 6 years ago I gained about 25 lbs. I wrestled with the notion that if I started smoking again, I would get back to my original size. But I didn't because I know the cost. And I know that there are others relying on me. To die thin from lung cancer or other smoking related illnesses was simply not worth it - not worth leaving my husband, my children, my family and friends for. But even now, I vividly remember when I was in my teens, twenties and even thirties, the feelings of pride when others noticed how I had lost weight or had a great figure. Little did they know that I had been doing some form of appetite suppressant since the age of 14. Dexatrim, speed, ephedrine, anything I could do to keep my energy up and my appetite down, I did. I remember the incredible wave of shame I felt when my thighs rubbed together when I walked. When I put on my freshman "20", I went into a "Flashdance" overdrive - aerobically dancing and running and biking until it was gone. When you are young, an attractive image is not only everything it is also what draws the opposite sex to you and raises your desirability quotient. Being desirable, being attractive, being admired, for a girl is absolutely everything. You do not consider the ramifications of your actions when you are young because you simply do not understand that there is a future. I didn't believe I would live past 30. Why, for goodness sake, would I want to live to be that OLD?!! Youth is completely wrapped in the now. It is what makes them risk unnecessarily. I can empathize with the gymnast in this story but I am horrified that all the requisite blocks - the school administration, the doctors, the coaches and especially the parents would allow a child to show such obvious signs of physical deterioration and not do anything. A child is supposed to do stupid things, the parents and adults in that child's life are there to say - whoa!! What's going on? Why is this happening? Kids don't often think of the future, it is our responsibility as adults to not only care for our own children but the children in our society as they will, hopefully, one day, become adults too.