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Thorndale woman says family is key to dealing with her eating disorder

Posted at 5:03 PM, Feb 28, 2017
and last updated 2018-11-03 15:19:48-04

National Eating Disorder Awareness week takes place Feb. 26 - Mar. 4.

The National Eating Disorders Association said such afflictions will affect about 30 million Americans at some point in their life. 

A young woman from Thorndale has battled Anorexia for most of her life.

"When I wouldn't eat, I would tell myself that I wasn't hungry. Even if my stomach was growling, I would tell myself 'You are not hungry, you do not need to eat this, you can eat later, you're not going to eat right now.' But, I would just tell myself, convince myself and then eventually I would just forget about it," Savannah Driver said. 

When she was 7-years-old, Savannah Driver was diagnosed with an eating disorder. Now, she's a junior at Tarleton State University and still battles with her demons. 

"I do still think that there are thoughts that come and go because society is everywhere. Lose this much weight, lose this much weight," Savannah said. 

As a child her parents tracked her eating, and even now that she's away from home.

"I text my mom about everything, I tell her what I eat, when I'm eating it, and if I don't she's asking me did you eat, what'd you eat, and food is not a good enough answer," Savannah added.

Her family is who helped her battle her eating disorder, and she encourages others to lean on their family if they are struggling too. 

"She's battled an eating disorder for a very long time. No matter what you're going through, just keep your head up, stand tall, everything's going to be okay," Charity Driver, Savannah's mom, said. 

Dr. Jones works with children and adults who battle eating disorders and credits Savannah's success to her family.

"The family, family, became tighter, became more secure, they became more bonded. They helped her through the process," Kenyatta Jones, a Child and Adolescent Behavioral Doctor at Metroplex Hospital, said.

Savannah says she's now confident in herself, her food choices and her body. 

"I trusted my mom, she knew what she was talking about, I was fine," Savannah said.  

Savannah's mom, Charity said the signs she picked up on were anxious behavior and major weight loss even at the young age of seven. 

Dr. Jones added anxiety is what drives most eating disorders.

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