By BRIANA SPINA
Layout Editor
A group of Saint Rose students joined together with members of the Capital Region community f
or a National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Walk to fight eating disorders. The students formed a team called Rosebuds, a tribute to their Saint Rose pride and the way people blossom through eating disorder recovery. The event took place on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 6 at The Crossings of Colonie.
Allison Hansen, president of the Saint Rose Student Association (SA), along with the rest of the board, were big supporters of the walk.
“I hope the NEDA walk can facilitate discussions where people feel comfortable to talk about these topics, a
nd to the point where the students who are a part of today feel comfortable starting these conversations on campus,” said Hansen.
Victoria Steinbiss, an intern at the Saint Rose Counseling Center, also hopes that the NEDA walk will “empower” students on campus to reach out for help. Steinbiss is a graduate student at UAlbany in the mental health counseling masters program, and she hopes to work with the LGBTQ co
mmunity in her career.
“As a future mental health counselor I want to show my support,” said Steinbiss. “I don’t want to only help students talk through what’s going on with them, but I also want to show up for them as an active supporter. I guess you could say not just talk the talk, but walk the walk.”
Samantha Seus, like Steinbiss, wants to work in the mental health field. Seus is a junior psychology major with a concentration in clinical counseling. She joined the walk because of the many misconceptions and complications around eating disorders.
“Eating disorders are more dangerous (and common) than many people wish to acknowledge, unfortunately,” said Seus. “Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.”
Seus also talked about society’s role in the development of eating disorders.
“The thin ideal is constantly reinforced by social media and the advertising industry to prey on our insecurities, and if support for recovery is all we can offer, it’s our obligation to do so,” said Seus.
There were advocacy opportunities, entertainment, and recovery resources at the walk. At one table, people could anonymously write wor
ds of encouragement on cards for people in eating disorder recovery. The cards will be delivered to local eating disorder treatment facilities. Also at that table, people could fill out postcards to send to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urging her to support the Live Well Act, which would provide more funding and awareness of eating disorders.
There were three speakers for the opening ceremony. The first was Congressman Paul Tonko, the representative of New York’s 20th district. He has been an active member of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus on Capitol Hill, and he spoke about what he is doing to help support the cause.
“I am a proud sponsor of the Affordable Care Act,” said Tonko, “and we are going to continue making sure that pre-existing condition coverage is a requirement across this country, because eating disorders would be looked at as pre-existing conditions, and there should be no exemption for people who require assistance, no matter which way.” This elicited cheers from the crowd.
“We need to be the agents of hope as we go forward with policy that speaks to your needs,” said Tonko.
The next speaker was Dr. Julie Morison, a licensed psychologist from an eating disorder treatment facility in Albany called HPA/LiveWell. People from the facility had a table at the walk providing information on the support they can offer to those who are struggling.
“In fairness, [eating disorder recovery] is hard, but it is super possible. If there is anything we can do to help, we absolutely will,” Morison said. Among the resources at HPA/LiveWellare an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and a once per week binge-eating group therapy. More information can be found at www.hpalivewell.com.
The final speaker was Jennifer Burchett, who has been battling anorexia nervosa for over 40 years. She s
poke about how her illness made her isolate herself and refuse to acknowledge that there was anything wrong. She recalled that she felt “weak” and “unworthy” at the beginning of her recovery journey.
“Taking that first step was not easy, but it led to a path of recovery that saved my life, said Burchett. She shared the lessons and coping skills that she has discovered, saying “I have learned I am worthy, and I am enough. So are you.” Now, Burchett is a wife, mother, and teacher, and her passion is helping others.
The whole walk was organized by Lisa Cross. She has been organizing the Albany walk for the past four years, and she gets involved because she herself struggles with anorexia. She was grateful for all the hard work everyone had put in with fundraising. Last year, the Capital Region walk raised $12,000. This year, they raised $18,000, surpassing their goal by $3,000. This money goes directly to NEDA to support their treatment resources and advocacy efforts. At the time this article was written, Rosebuds raised $335. People can still donate to NEDA on behalf of Rosebuds through Nov. 6 at bit.ly/nedarosebuds.
Overall, Seus thought this walk was “a very great way to raise awareness.”
She said, “I hope that this event will bring the Saint Rose community together and help others spot crucial warning signs. Ideally this will act as a reminder that we never know the private pain an individual is suffering.”
Steinbiss took what she saw at the walk and applied it to her future career. She talked about the importance of “being able to understand people who are in various stages and showing no judgement.”
The sentiment of the walk can be summed up by what Burchett said in her speech: “Each year I a
m here, I am reminded that I am not alone in this battle. We are a community of strong, brave warriors fighting together. That gives me hope and strength.”
Briana Spina was the Rosebuds Team Captain
