“My dream for the future is…”

My dream for the future was to be an astronaut and fly to the moon. While I am still enamored by the night sky, my plans have stayed on earth.

Before I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) at six months, I was a failure to thrive. After that, I shed the CF trademark of being underweight and continued to develop, until I reached fifteen. Then, I began to lose weight and when I studied abroad in France at 19, in 2005, my weight had gotten so low that I almost did not make it home. It was then I realized that not only did I have CF, I also had an eating disorder and, for the second time in my life, almost died due to low weight.

I returned home on the journey of recovery and why I denied myself the most valuable medicine – nourishment. While I am still struggling, my experience has given me the insight to help others.

Upon transferring to San Jose State University, I began to pursue a career as a Registered Dietician to work with individuals with chronic illness and disordered thinking around food. In writing a paper on the correlation of chronic illness and eating disorders, I found that this deadly relationship has not been well studied and in my own struggles found it difficult to find support. Now, experience, knowledge, and desire to help people through my empathy and understanding of the inner struggle have become my path to the moon.