‘Indeed with hardship will be ease’
(Quran 94:6)
Dear Readers,
Please find below a story of hope. I hope this story will shed light on child eating disorder and offer hope in the midst of darkness. Thank you Yormi for this great work.
Author: Yormi- USA
THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
A Muslim family discovers their teenage daughter has an Eating Disorder. Mother and father both work to provide for the family. There was enough money to cater for the children. There were enough pocket money and gifts from the father being the last and favorite child of the parents. She would go around to buy different kinds of delicacies not knowing that there is death and life in eating –just anything sweet.
Aisha is one of the children. She is the only female and the second of four children. Now in her early teen, seventeen, to be precise. Aisha would eat anything that comes her way, anything she can lay hold upon on the streets. Candy, sweets, ice-creams, chocolate and the likes, while the parents were away regardless of the implications.
Some years after, most times, Aisha’s mother noticed some physical change in her little girl, but, due to her tight schedule, she couldn’t help but partially ignore it. Little did she know that she could lose her only child to eating disorder (ED). While leaving for work, she would say, “take care of yourself, be good to yourselves and stay out of trouble”. She failed to know that one of the silent but great things ED fears most is an active and constant good watch of the parents over the children as we as moral and Islamic training. That is the most lesson that lay in wait years after.
Aisha went on and on like that for two years. On many occasions, she would purge and recover after treatment. She sees symptoms, but she chose to conceal it. Her body system soon got used to all of these. When taken to the hospital in most cases, the doctor would call the attention of both parents to the change in their daughter’s system behavior. They merely concluded that all that would change as she grows. Everyone, including the doctor assumed that Aisha’s body change to adolescence is responsible for those intermittent visits to the hospital.
At a point in time, the doctor carried out some tests in Aisha to know exactly the root cause of this massive disorder that has been getting some bills from her (Aisha) parents. It was diagnosed that there has been a major dysfunction in her body system hereby affecting her skin, body size and digestive system. Insulin malfunction. The doctor had hardly finished his words when the mother interrupted “Could this be diabetes? How come? When?” The mother retorted. The doctor only managed to conclude his talk with the father.
However, the parents got themselves calm and they fashioned a way to make these corrections since the doctor said that it is in the early stage of development.
Immediately, the father figured it out that this might be caused by an ED.
He asked his daughter a series of questions and it was then he got to know that Aisha had gotten herself an ED for sure and that she has been severely molested and bullied in school by mates about her ever growing robust body. She’s lonely from inside and feels rejection deeply. She has determined to put a stop to all her chocolate and all other things that are inimical to her health and decides to lose weight.
As prescribed by the doctor, the father saw to it that all the instructions from the doctor were met to include teaching Aisha and her siblings, from the holy Quran, praying, helping her get self-freedom from the molestations of her peers and driving her to and from school often and accompanying her exercises. As these helped her recover gradually and faster. They were able to train her in the way she should have been. This way both parents got their young Aisha total recovery from ED.
In barely thirty-six months, her health got recovered and is now on the verge of being a free young, beautiful, ED-free lady. Thanks to the war against eating disorder.
This family fought hard for so many years to fight ED,even at the detriment of other sibling’s feelings of extension of care, this almost caused adverse effects on siblings as Aisha gets more attention.
After two years of feeling the strain; the three-month-long hospitalization and the maintenance of Aisha’s home, their jobs and many other factors to contend with, however, family Beat Eating Disorders by getting education, reading books and changing their life style.
Healing takes place through the Qur’an and salah and listening to the doctor’s advice, the family is back together in one piece; more refined an happy.
This implies that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Eating disorders make one feel exhausted, worthless, helpless, and hopeless. Such negative thoughts and feelings make some people feel like giving up. It’s important to seek help from your GP if you think your child is struggling with eating and has symptoms of disordered eating.
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