When longtime resident Lisa Roe thought about what she wanted for her 50th birthday this year, she knew she wanted to mark the milestone by giving back not only to her community, but society too.
By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — When longtime resident Lisa Roe thought about what she wanted for her 50th birthday this year, she knew she wanted to mark the milestone by giving back not only to her community, but society too.
So she decided to sign Montgomery up for a National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Walk to raise awareness of the dangers surrounding eating disorders. Although Ms. Roe has not had any personal experience with eating disorders, she thought it was important to shed light about what is often thought of as a taboo subject.
”I always felt strongly that eating disorders should be talked about and I wanted to do something I thought would help,” explained Ms. Roe. “Eating disorders are so common and it’s definitely an issue that’s kind of near and dear to the high school’s heart because there are so many men and woman that suffer.”
NEDA, a nonprofit organization, has been doing these walks since 2009, spanning across the nation. However, Ms. Roe’s walk on Sept. 22 will be NEDA’s first in Central Jersey. Participants will be walking a little more than a mile through the Montgomery Park on Harlingen Road in Belle Mead. Ms. Roe, who has lived in Montgomery for 17 years, picked the Montgomery Park particularly because of its arboretum.
”It’s going to be so pretty,” added Ms. Roe. “It’s not competitive thing — it’s really to get your shoes on and enjoy the walk.”
The walk is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and will include words from guest speaker Judy Avrin, who founded an organization out of NEDA called Someday Melissa. Ms. Avrin created Someday Melissa in 2010 after her daughter Melissa lost a long battle with bulimia and died at 19. Since, Ms. Avrin has made Melissa’s story global through a documentary titled “Someday Melissa: the Story of an Eating Disorder, Loss and Hope,” which was inspired by Melissa’s diary.
”Watching my own family, I didn’t know anyone else lived this crazy life with this terrible illness and now people write me to say Melissa’s story inspired them and made them believe in recovery,” said Ms. Avrin. “I realized how important every voice is and it’s an honor to for me to be able to share Melissa’s story — it helps give some meaning to losing her.”
Ms. Avrin explained that she and her family will never get over losing Melissa, but that she will continue to spread the word and give advice on how to deal with someone with an eating disorder.
”You have to open your eyes and educate yourself — don’t assume it will never be your child, sister or brother,” she added. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Although it’s still a couple of months away, Ms. Roe is already nearing her goal to raise $5,000 for the walk. According to the NEDA website, she has raised almost $4,000 with the help of sponsors and donors such as Terhune Orchards, Flexible Architecture Simplified Technology (FAST), Timberline Knolls and University Radiology. All the money raised from the walk will go to NEDA and NEDA network members to help fund awareness, prevention, services and treatment programs for eating disorders.
As the walk nears, Ms. Roe is continuing to help spread the word about the event and working to get the whole community involved. She plans on reaching out to local high schools, colleges and businesses to try and garner as much support as possible.
Although the NEDA Walk starts at 10 a.m. that Sunday, participants are asked to arrive at 9 a.m. to check in. Those who are interested in being part of Ms. Roe’s endeavor can contact her at [email protected].
For more information on eating disorders or finding and/or hosting a NEDA Walk, visit the NEDA website at www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.