FAT: The Story of My Life with My Body

VALDOSTA -- The community is invited to learn about the dangers of eating disorders from a woman who battled with obesity for years during a forum titled “Fat: The Story of My Life with My Body,” held Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Powell Hall Auditorium.

Sponsored by the Office of Health Promotions, the event will feature Dr. Jean Braithwaite, creative non-fiction specialist in the English department at the University of Texas-Pan American and author of the book, FAT: The Story of My Life with My Body. Braithwaite will talk about her personal experiences with obesity, temporary weight loss, eating disorders and mental depression.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, Inc. (ANAD), 25 percent of college-aged women engage in binging and purging to manage their weight. Eating disorders are said to have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

“In the Office of Health Promotions, we educate students through a variety of methods on eating disorders as well as many other topics that our college students face,” said Health Promotions Assistant Director Holly Wright. “We were given a great opportunity to have Ms. Braithwaite on campus. She will educate the VSU community about eating disorders and her life’s journey with the disease.”

For more information about Braithwaite and her book, visit http://jeanbraithwaite.net/fat.html .