Giselle – 2016 Graduate
I was raised with two wonderful parents and a truckload of older siblings. We attended our local Catholic church every Sunday evening. Growing up as the youngest child, I often sat back and observed my older siblings. I was taught manners and obedience, how to love and share, but I also grew to resent how strict the household was. I began to blame my dad for robbing me of a ‘normal’ childhood when I discovered that my friends weren’t raised in as strict of homes. In middle school, my friends and I became the “queen bees” of the school. We spent our time gossiping and judging others. Those same friends turned against me when my body began to develop. My curves became a constant reminder of what I looked like, and I felt the only way to get the comments to stop was to get rid of my curves. That started my 13-year fight with anorexia and bulimia. That summer, a family member made a pointed comment about my body shape, only adding to my dwindling self-esteem and my desire to be thin. When I was in 10th grade, a flu-induced fast caused me to lose quite a bit of weight, and my friends complimented me on my slimmer, more ‘fit’ appearance. Before I knew it, my life revolved entirely around food. I established strict rules for myself and continually pushed people out of my life. The harder my family tried to save me from the dark path I was on, the harder I rebelled and the sicker I became. I began to spend time in and out of hospitals and psychiatric units on feeding tubes. When I was 17, my life hit rock bottom. My weight plummeted to its lowest point. My heart gave out while I was walking around the hospital, and I fell lifeless into my dad’s arms. I don’t remember much about the event, but even that didn’t prompt me to change my ways. Later that year my world came crashing down when my oldest brother ended up in a coma on life support after overdosing on prescription narcotics. I blamed myself. I rationalized that he overdosed to numb the pain of my actions. I became overly sensitive to people’s words. The fear of sending me into a downward spiral prevented people from talking to me. I started my career as an EMT, and shortly after, I started dating a Christian man and attending church. I began experiencing the God everyone had talked about all those years for the first time. I got a second job as a trauma tech in the ER, which meant more money coming in. I turned to binging & purging and often spent hundreds of dollars a week on binge foods. I maintained my out-of-control ways for the next three years.
I found out about Mercy when my family confronted me about my life-style. My sister-in-law mentioned Mercy, as she had a friend that went to the Nashville home. I applied in secret that night. I decided to apply to Mercy because I couldn’t imagine my life without my family, and I couldn’t stand my life with my eating disorder any longer.
One turning point that stands out was when I slipped back in to my old habits. It was absolutely the Holy Spirit that led me to confess what I had done. My old self would have LOVED to keep that one a secret, but I knew that only bad things remain hidden.
Before Mercy, I knew of God, but I didn’t know Him. Mercy showed me that God is the greatest Father and friend that we could ever dream of. I learned that by God’s grace, I am undoubtedly saved, passionately loved, adopted into His family, and completely forgiven. God has shown me that if I turn to Him instead of my fleshly desires, He can heal and mend it all.
After graduation, I plan on moving back home and working two jobs. In the fall, I will be moving to attend school, pursuing my career as a surgeon specializing in Emergency Trauma.
Because of the generosity of Mercy donors, I am a Mercy success story. I can’t even imagine where my life would have been had I not been able to come to Mercy. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness, generosity, and prayers throughout my stay. Without you, I’d still be lost.