Giving Back: Kristina Saffran and Liana Rosenman of Project HEAL
CAUSE: After undergoing treatment for anorexia nervosa together in middle school, Kristina and Liana wanted to help others fully recover from eating disorders. Residential treatment can cost $30,000 per month—an amount that most insurance companies do not cover. Kristina and Liana founded Project HEAL to create scholarship funds for young people who are seeking treatment but unable to afford it. Now college students, Kristina and Liana have expanded Project HEAL's mission to promote positive body image and self-worth.
EFFECT: Project HEAL has sponsored seven individuals to seek residential treatment for eating disorders. Kristina and Liana have personally mentored countless girls; they make themselves available at all hours of the day over phone, text, and social media, and also do speaking engagements at high schools.
GET INVOLVED: Start a Project HEAL chapter to help fundraise for the treatment scholarship fund, make a donation, or join the organization as a volunteer.
1/6These eating disorder survivors are raising money for those who cannot afford treatment.
2/6Kristina: "We met in treatment for anorexia when we were thirteen. When we left, we developed a healthy, recovery-oriented friendship. We were talking one day about people we had met in outpatient therapy who had wanted to get treatment, but couldn't afford it. We had been lucky enough that our insurance had covered a lot of treatment and that our parents could afford to pay. We were sophomores in high school in 2008 when we first planned a fundraiser, and it ended up being more successful than we ever could have dreamed. We realized all the support we had and wanted to keep going."
Liana: "Our first fundraiser was at a local restaurant, and we raised $14,000. We actually had people lining up outside—family, friends, and doctors who had treated us. About two weeks after our first event, we sent our first applicant to treatment."
3/6Liana: "The most common misconception about eating disorders is that someone who has one doesn't eat. I thought that I did not have an eating disorder because to my knowledge, I thought I was eating. I was eating, but just not enough. People don't realize that people with eating disorders often do eat, just not enough to sustain their bodies. Another misconception is that it doesn't affect all gender, races, and ethnicities. Men also struggle with eating disorders, but they aren't always as willing to seek treatment."
Kristina: "People don't realize that eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes; they tend to just think of the anorexia type of eating disorder when people are super frail and underweight. Bulimia, binge eating, ercise anorexia... there are so many types of eating disorders. It's not always so easy to tell just by looking at someone. A lot of people don't get help because people think that since they look fine, they're not struggling."
4/6Liana: "I didn't want my story to stop at recovery, even though it was dark. I wanted to make it into something positive and share my experiences so people don't have to go through it alone. Although I was afraid at first to speak out, I realized that I had a voice and had something to say that would make a difference. We get text messages all the time and make ourselves available 24/7, so if someone needs to talk, we're there for them."
Kristina: "Project HEAL helped me and solidified my recovery because I wanted to put myself out there as a role model, and I had to walk the walk to talk the talk. Now we've opened up chapters of Project HEAL around the country, and a lot of people who open chapters have suffered from eating disorders. The overwhelming feedback that we're getting is that this is solidifying their recovery too because they can come out, be role models, and help others."
5/6Kristina: "We have two goals. First and foremost: to raise money for people with eating disorders who can't afford treatment. Secondarily, we try to promote healthy body image and good self-esteem in young people. We do eating disorder prevention and recovery-oriented talks to show girls that recovery is possible. We went back to high school after we'd been in treatment, and we realized a lot of our 'normal, healthy' friends had a lot of body image issues. It isn't right."
Liana: "We've funded seven applicants to go to treatment. Residential treatment costs about $30,000 a month, and usually the minimum stay is about two months. Insurance will often maybe cover six or seven days at most. Then there's the aftercare therapy, which is usually not covered by insurance. In treatment, you develop healthy coping mechanisms to regain a sense of self. That's the major thing that you have to do in order to recover: realize that you're more than your eating disorder and that you offer more than how much you weigh and how many calories you consume."
6/6Kristina:"There's a very, very thin line between what's 'normal, healthy dieting'—although we don't believe in dieting—and an eating disorder. When you find yourself canceling plans because you have to get in your daily workout, or not going out to dinner with your friends because they're going for pizza, it starts to take over your life. When you're thinking about food, weight, and calories outside of mealtime, then that's when you may want to seek help. The sooner, the better. This is a disorder that spirals so quickly."
Liana: "An eating disorder becomes so powerful at one point, and you can't differentiate which thoughts are yours and which are your eating disorder's. It wears you down and it affects every single part of your life. There comes a point when your eating disorder is your identity, and going to treatment helps you realize that you're more than your eating disorder."
