"She has held her breath for so long, she has forgotten how to breathe." This is a line from one of the poems I wrote when my daughter Emma was diagnosed with Anorexia and stayed in an inpatient facility for two months. Anorexia is hard enough, but when you have to leave your 9 year old daughter alone with strangers, it is excruciating. My little girl was only 9 when I had to leave her there. I have never felt so much pain in my life. She is a vibrant, funny, loving, caring and thoughtful little girl who was taken over by a disease that ravaged her tiny little body. She developed anorexia due to a bad situation at home which lead me to leave a marriage and take her with me. You would not know it from the picture, but em, my daughter, got down to 48 pounds and every bone in her body protruded out to be that ugly reminder of what was happening to her on a daily basis. And in addition to the inpatient stay, she spent 8 days in the children's hospital just to get her stable. Anorexia is not just a disease that is reserved for teens and adults, it is an ugly disease that can show up in anyone at anytime. But in the last two years, that we have been on our own, I finished my masters while working full time, guide my daughter work through her therapy, watch her excel and play amazing in the sport of her choice - volleyball, excel in school and the most important part, continue to watch her take huge steps in her journey to recovery. It has not been easy and there have been some huge bumps to overcome, but I have begun to take some breaths again and to learn to know who I am again along with my daughter. She has taught me so much and I am grateful for that. I found the key pendant and chose "breathe". The symbol behind that word is monumental to me. Now that I have begun to breathe again, I will wear this necklace until I can pass it to my daughter when she comes to the part in her journey where she can finally "breathe again". Knowing that day will come, gives my the hope to fight for each and every breath that we take together as a mother and a daughter. I will be proud to be able to pass that "breathe" pendant to her.... thank you for giving me a precious gift that I will be able to pass to my daughter.... thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my story........ Kimberley
