Two days ago, my wonderful friend Katie passed away after fighting anorexia for a long time. Words are insufficient for expressing what she meant to me and to so many young women in the healthy living blog sphere, specifically those who were/are struggling with eating disorders.

We love you so much, Katie. You will be sorely missed, but we are confident that God has you in His merciful and loving hands.

Eating disorders are very serious and life-threatening. If you or a loved one is struggling with disordered eating or an eating disorder, please reach out to someone— a trusted family member, friend, community member, myself, or another blogger. 

Resources (I found this list on Julia’s blog post):

• http://nedawareness.org (National Eating Disorder Awareness)
• http://www.aroundthedinnertable.org (Familial Support)
• http://bedaonline.com (Binge Eating Disorder Association)
• http://www.feast-ed.org (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment)
• http://www.maudsleyparents.org (Parental Support)
• http://namedinc.org (National Association for Males with Eating Disorders)
• http://www.nsvrc.org (National Sexual Violence Resource Center)
• http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org (Suicide Prevention Hotline)

A few of my friends have been hurting deeply recently too.

Whether I know you personally, only through the internet, or not at all, you should know that I love you. Not the romantic or even “friend crush” kind of love necessarily. I love you in that I care about who you are— your life, your soul, and your story. Someone wants to listen and someone cares. I know this only because other people have listened to me. YOU have listened to me by reading this blog. Thank you for loving me.

I love you too.