For those struggling with eating disorders, Johanna Kandel offers hope and her own story Wellness Health Fitness

For those struggling with eating disorders, Johanna Kandel offers hope and her own story

Posted by Hayden Solomon 22 Jun, 2011

For the better part of a decade, Johanna Kandel was caught in a deadly dance with an eating disorder.

But, over the past 10 years, the same characteristics that put the former ballerina on the path to self-destruction have helped her grow the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness.

‘There are certain personality traits that you’re born with that set you up for developing an eating disorder – perfectionism, a Type A personality, says Kandel. Instead of using them for bad, I’ve been able to use them for good.

In January, Kandel, her board of directors and mostly volunteer staff celebrated the alliance’s 10th anniversary by moving into a serene 1,300-square-foot West Palm Beach space, lovingly decked out with hip IKEA furnishings and fixtures – quite a departure from its previous, cramped 180-square-foot headquarters.

The Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County recognized Kandel last year with one of its Giraffe Awards, honoring women who stick their necks out to make the area a more livable place.

But the 32-year-old West Palm Beach native, who has testified before Congress on the issue of eating disorders, is extending her reach.

Last fall, the nonfiction division of Harlequin published her book, Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder: Reclaim Yourself, Regain Your Health, Recover for Good. The alliance recently produced a first-of-its-kind guide to eating-disorder treatment providers in Florida. They plan to distribute a national guide later this year.

All this while the organization has sometimes struggled to stay afloat financially.

It’s kind of like she’s riding a storm constantly, says one of her best friends, Garrett Swann, and she’s that ship that just doesn’t sink.

We’ve come very close to not being able to keep the lights on, Kandel says. But I’m very stubborn, and I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

And, by her own admission, she’s something of a workaholic.

Frankly, she’s always working, says her husband, Max Zaretsky, who recently started law school after a decade in the finance and legal fields. It’s not uncommon for her to be on the phone with people who are struggling at 10 at night. I don’t even try to get her off the phone anymore.

As much as the alliance aims to prevent eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, and provide assistance to those struggling with them, it also works to promote positive body images. To that end, the group has produced several fashion-show fund-raisers featuring models of all shapes and sizes (including this reporter).

Swann, an actor and producer based in Santa Barbara, Calif., has helped Kandel and her team create those events (the next one is scheduled for Nov. 5). He says he’s continually impressed with his friend’s drive and perseverance.

She’s dealing with a subject that so many people are so ignorant about and they don’t think it’s an issue, Swann says.

The most lethal of all psychiatric illnesses, eating disorders are also among the least understood. So many people still think having an eating disorder is a choice, says Dr. Joann Hendelman, the alliance’s clinical director and a Palm Beach Gardens clinical psychologist. I can’t tell you how many times I tell people it’s a genetic disease and they look at me like I’m crazy.

More education and advocacy is necessary, says Hendelman, and that’s where a group like the alliance comes in. If people still view this as a choice, then they’re not going to want to put research money into it.’

And there remains a stigma for some. They fear that by supporting a group like the alliance you’re either saying you (have an eating disorder) or somebody you know does, and there’s still that feeling out there that that’s not cool, Hendelman says. People are uncomfortable about having that identity, and we’ve got to get past that.

While anorexia or bulimia may look like vanity issues, they’re largely determined by genetics. Genes load the gun, and the environment and situation pulls the trigger, says Kandel, who traces the roots of her eating disorder to an incident when she was 12 years old.

A dancer since the age of 3, Kandel desperately wanted to earn a part in a production of The Nutcracker, and when the company’s artistic director and ballet mistress mentioned that auditioners might want to drop some weight before tryouts, Kandel made that her mission.

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Who suffers from eating disorders?

Forty percent of Americans have either suffered from an eating disorder or know someone who has.
The most rapidly growing group of individuals with eating disorders are women in midlife.
Men comprise 25 percent of eating-disorder patients.
Children aren’t immune either: Kids under the age of 10 make up 10 percent of eating-disorder cases.

Source:

The Alliance for Eating

Disorders Awareness

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