Anne Marie Healy has written a book titled "Be Yourself" about her life living with rheumatoid arthritis. She was diagnosed at age 5 and has dealt with chronic pain ever since, undergoing several joint replacement surgeries. The book collects diaries she has kept through the years and gives readers insight into what it's like to live with a disability. Despite facing daily challenges, Anne Marie pursued her education and career goals with the support of her family. She hopes to raise awareness of issues affecting those with disabilities through her story.
A Story of Chaining and Freedom in IndonesiaLautan Jiwa
"Personal stories of ‘pasung survivors’ such as Anto’s, powerfully contribute to understanding the devastating impact that pasung has on the person and their families.
Eating Disorders
TOPIC OVERVIEW
Anorexia Nervosa
The Clinical Picture
Medical Problems
Bulimia Nervosa
Binges
Compensatory Behaviors
Bulimia Nervosa Versus Anorexia Nervosa
Binge-Eating Disorder
What Causes Eating Disorders?
Psychodynamic Factors: Ego Deficiencies
Cognitive Factors
Depression
Biological Factors
Societal Pressures
Family Environment
Multicultural Factors: Racial and Ethnic Differences
Multicultural Factors: Gender Differences
How Are Eating Disorders Treated?
Treatments for Anorexia Nervosa
Treatments for Bulimia Nervosa
Treatments for Binge-eating Disorder
Putting It Together: A Standard for Integrating Perspectives
Shani, age 15: While I was learning to resist the temptation of hunger, I walked into the kitchen when no one was around, took a slice of bread out the packet, toasted it, spread butter on it, took a deep breath and bit. Guilty. I spat it in the trash and tossed the rest of it in and walked away. Seconds later I longed for the toast, walked back to the trash, popped open the lid and sifted around in the debris. I found it and contemplated, for minutes, whether to eat it. I brought it close to my nose and inhaled the smell of melted butter. Guilty. Guilty for trashing it. Guilty for craving it. Guilty for tasting it. I threw it back in the trash and walked away. No is no, I told myself. No is no.
… And no matter how hard I would try to always have The Perfect Day in terms of my food, I would feel the guilt every second of every day. It reeked of shame, seeped with disgust and festered in disgrace. It was my desire to escape the guilt that perpetuated my compulsion to starve.
In time I formulated a more precise list of “can” and “can’t” in my head that dictated what I was allowed or forbidden to consume…. It became my way of life. My manual. My blueprint. But more than that, it gave me false reassurance that my life was under control. I was managing everything because I had this list in front of me telling me what—and what not—to do….
In the beginning, starving was hard work. It was not innate. Day by day I was slowly lured into another world, a world that was as isolating as it was intriguing, and as rewarding as it was challenging….
That summer, despite the fact that I had lost a lot of weight, my mother agreed to let me go to summer camp with my fifteen-year-old peers, after I swore to her that I would eat. I broke that promise as soon as I got there…. At breakfast time when all the teens raced into the dining hall to grab cereal boxes and bread loaves and jelly tins and peanut butter jars, I sat alone cocooned in my fear. I fingered the plastic packet of a loaf of white sliced bread, took out a piece and tore off a corner, like I was marking a page in a book, onto which I dabbed a blob of peanut butter and jelly the size of a Q-tip. That was my breakfast. Every day. For three weeks.
I tried to get to the showers when everyone else was at the beach so nobody would see me. I heard girls behind me whispering, “Tha ...
Self Harm
Self Harm In Adolescents
Personal Story Of Self-Harm
Media And Self Harm Essay
Self-Harm Research Paper
Self Harm Research Paper
Essay on Self harm
Self-Harming Case Studies
Suicide Self Harm
Essay on Self Harm
A Story of Chaining and Freedom in IndonesiaLautan Jiwa
"Personal stories of ‘pasung survivors’ such as Anto’s, powerfully contribute to understanding the devastating impact that pasung has on the person and their families.
Eating Disorders
TOPIC OVERVIEW
Anorexia Nervosa
The Clinical Picture
Medical Problems
Bulimia Nervosa
Binges
Compensatory Behaviors
Bulimia Nervosa Versus Anorexia Nervosa
Binge-Eating Disorder
What Causes Eating Disorders?
Psychodynamic Factors: Ego Deficiencies
Cognitive Factors
Depression
Biological Factors
Societal Pressures
Family Environment
Multicultural Factors: Racial and Ethnic Differences
Multicultural Factors: Gender Differences
How Are Eating Disorders Treated?
Treatments for Anorexia Nervosa
Treatments for Bulimia Nervosa
Treatments for Binge-eating Disorder
Putting It Together: A Standard for Integrating Perspectives
Shani, age 15: While I was learning to resist the temptation of hunger, I walked into the kitchen when no one was around, took a slice of bread out the packet, toasted it, spread butter on it, took a deep breath and bit. Guilty. I spat it in the trash and tossed the rest of it in and walked away. Seconds later I longed for the toast, walked back to the trash, popped open the lid and sifted around in the debris. I found it and contemplated, for minutes, whether to eat it. I brought it close to my nose and inhaled the smell of melted butter. Guilty. Guilty for trashing it. Guilty for craving it. Guilty for tasting it. I threw it back in the trash and walked away. No is no, I told myself. No is no.
… And no matter how hard I would try to always have The Perfect Day in terms of my food, I would feel the guilt every second of every day. It reeked of shame, seeped with disgust and festered in disgrace. It was my desire to escape the guilt that perpetuated my compulsion to starve.
In time I formulated a more precise list of “can” and “can’t” in my head that dictated what I was allowed or forbidden to consume…. It became my way of life. My manual. My blueprint. But more than that, it gave me false reassurance that my life was under control. I was managing everything because I had this list in front of me telling me what—and what not—to do….
In the beginning, starving was hard work. It was not innate. Day by day I was slowly lured into another world, a world that was as isolating as it was intriguing, and as rewarding as it was challenging….
That summer, despite the fact that I had lost a lot of weight, my mother agreed to let me go to summer camp with my fifteen-year-old peers, after I swore to her that I would eat. I broke that promise as soon as I got there…. At breakfast time when all the teens raced into the dining hall to grab cereal boxes and bread loaves and jelly tins and peanut butter jars, I sat alone cocooned in my fear. I fingered the plastic packet of a loaf of white sliced bread, took out a piece and tore off a corner, like I was marking a page in a book, onto which I dabbed a blob of peanut butter and jelly the size of a Q-tip. That was my breakfast. Every day. For three weeks.
I tried to get to the showers when everyone else was at the beach so nobody would see me. I heard girls behind me whispering, “Tha ...
Self Harm
Self Harm In Adolescents
Personal Story Of Self-Harm
Media And Self Harm Essay
Self-Harm Research Paper
Self Harm Research Paper
Essay on Self harm
Self-Harming Case Studies
Suicide Self Harm
Essay on Self Harm
1. Connaught Telegraph*
Tuesday, 6 January 2015
Page: 13
Circulation: 14480
Area of Clip: 21500mm²
Page 1 of 1
Disability camps
AMAYOdisability advocate is
delighted with the success of her
book, ‘BeYourself, telling the
story about her life with rheumatoid
arthritis.
Anne Marie Healy,Belmullet,
was diagnosed with rheumatoid
arthritis when she was five
years old and has been involved
throughout her adult life in an
awareness campaign to improve
services for people with rheumatoid
arthritis in Mayo.
Alittle girl of fiveand already
living in a body that hurt constantly,
Ann Marie had only been
in her first year in Glenamoy
National School when she complained
of pains in her limbs.
This was the start of a grip of
pain that spanned through the
years. The rheumatic fever raised
its head asjuvenile arthritis by the
time Ann Marie was 10years of
age, and she eventually had to use
a wheelchair in her early 30s.
Operation after operation and
strong determination has made
life bearable for this remarkable
woman.
The book is a collection of diaries
kept by her through the years
of having to cope with pain. It has
opened readers’ eyes to a real life
situation and proves that there
can be joy beyond the pain.
“When I was a child, arthritis
was just a big word,” she recalls,
“AllI cared about was doing the
same things that my school friends
were doing, but it was hard. At
school, 1had difficulty writing and
would get very tired.”
Ann Marie has undergone several
operations, including hip,
knee, shoulder and elbow replacements.
There is no cure for the
condition but these days, if it is
caught early, drugs can be quite
preventative.
She readily acknowledged that
she has had several “bad patches”,
where she has found things particularly
tough. For example, in
her final year of college, she had
to have extensive joint replacement
surgery, which meant completing
her diploma from home.
“Throughout my life,I’vehad
to deal with chronic pain. 1take
morphine and employ conscious
strategies to keep my mind off the
pain, including listening to music,
watching a video, and generally
keeping my mind active. Ifyou
don’t keep busy, you become more
aware of the pain and it takes
over.”
She was always concerned
about becoming a burden on her
family and valued her independence.
It helped immensely that
they were supportive without
being over-protective. “Myfamily
knew if Ineeded assistance I
would ask for it and were always
there to support me in achieving
my goals."
These goals included pursuing
several educational courses and
achieving her dream of going to
college at SligoInstitute of Technology,
where she studied social
science. Living away from home
was a big step but Ann Marie loved
the whole college scene, and the
opportunity to meet new people.
She believes that positive thinking
and surrounding yourself with
positive people enables you to
achieve a great deal despite facing
daily challenges as a result of arthritis
and chronic pain.
Lobbying on issues such as access,
transport, employment and
healthcare helps to keep them on
the political agenda. Through the
pages of her diary, and in her own
words, we are presented with a
personal account of what it is like
ith success of her new book
to live with disability in Ireland
today.
The book was published by
Choice Publishing and is available
at local outlets.
AnnMarieHealy(left) beinginterview
on Errislocalradio.