When Life Gives You Lemons

A story about an anorexic girl.

            When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That quote has always meant the same thing to me: if you're facing a tough time, make the most of it. Life gave me lemons when my parents started using "no dessert" as a punishment for calling my brothers and sisters names. Of course, missing dessert a couple times isn't going to kill anyone, but let's just say I was "fond of sweets".  I wasn't fat, but I could stand to lose a few pounds. I was having a really rough week, fighting with everyone, and I was scheduled to miss two weeks of dessert. I lost a few pounds and I felt great. Slim and fit like never before. If skipping dessert did this much, imagine what halving my food portions would do! I thought excitedly to myself. Then, when I was offered dessert two weeks later, I declined. This might just seem like a step towards health, but when I was eating half a banana for breakfast, a carrot for lunch, and half a cup of steamed veggies for dinner, you could tell there was something wrong. At five-three I weighed 90 lbs. A bit too skinny perhaps? My parents saw how skinny I was getting and they stopped using no dessert as a punishment. I still didn't eat anything sweet, salty or oily.
           Then one day I fainted. My parents took me to the doctor and told him about what had been happening lately. He brought me various foods that I refused to eat. The most memorable example was a bowl of rice. He asked me to eat it so I told him to. "It looks like a bowl of maggots. I am so not eating that!" I said in disgust. He took my parents outside but I could hear them talking through the door.
           "Rachelle has developed Anorexia Nervosa. It is a mental illness that affects the way we view food. It shrinks our appetites and can be deadly if it goes untreated. Seeing food as something gross is a common symptom. She fainted because of lack of iron and other vital nutrients. I suggest that she drinks two protein shakes twice a day until she gains more weight. Don't hesitate to return if the problem worsens."
            I was piqued. I don't have anorexia, you idiot! I'm not even skinny! I thought vehemently. We returned home and my parents watched me drink the protein shake. It was disgusting. It tasted like thick swamp water. I looked at the bottle and read the nutritional information. 500 calories! I went to the bathroom and threw up. No way am I going to drink a day's worth of calories twice a day! I got skinnier and skinnier. I weighed 87 lbs. on December 15th. Christmas was coming and so was my aunt Angela. She was my favorite aunt, but when she arrived she took one horrified look at me and said,
          "Rachelle, we need to talk now." She took me to my bedroom and shared her story. Apparently she was anorexic for three years as a young mother and if she hadn't been treated my cousin Brittany would have died from birth complications. I was shocked. My beautiful aunt Angela had been anorexic? She was slim, but not too slim and she ate normal food. If she can, then why can't I? I thought. She gave me a hug and asked me to promise I would eat what she ate while she was visiting. I did and by January I had gained two pounds. Auntie Angela must have known her work wasn't done yet, so she convinced my parents to let me stay with her until June. While I lived with her I learned that food isn't scary, but it can be if it is over eaten. It took awhile for me to get used to eating food again, but by the time my parents came in June i weighed 112 pounds. A perfect weight for my height according to Angela.
          Since then I have weighed between 110 and 115 pounds and I haven't skipped any meals. I never thought that I could become an anorexic, but that just goes to show that it can happen to anyone. So, that was the lemon life gave me and in honor of my recovery Angela and I made lemonade.

Author's Note

Let me know if there are any grammar mistakes and I will edit them. Let me know if you like the story, too!

Reviews

[Silence Dogood]

nice...a moving and kindve sad story...and i know just how u feel about ur mother taking up smoking...but at least u have a father. Mine walked out, didn't even have any divorce papers and left me before i even hit the first grade. I have a stepdad but I'll never know what it's like to call someone "Dad". It still feels awkward in my mouth when i say it. We can make lemonade out of this.

[Titan]

A beautiful message, but a scary one. Sort of the idiotic parents for allowing this to happen, but still a good story. I think I would rename it though. It's a good title, but I don't think it has to do with the moral of the story. It doesn't bother me, though. Good job. :)

[Bette]

oh yeah i am not good with seeing the fault in things i just see the effort in it. i am sure someone will come along and point out what i am unable too.

[Bette]

this is touching. if its true then bless you my friend for beating that demon. if its not then kudos to your creative mind! well done.