A non-profit is hoping to improve awareness about eating disorders through performance art.
ANAD, the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, will presenting “This Is My Brave – The Show” on Feb. 27 in Evanston.
“We get to celebrate these 21 stories through song through dance through poetry and essay. And we get to just make it a night of community of hope and of healing,” said Jason Wood, director of community engagement for ANAD.
Wood is not just organizing the event. He is participating, sharing a poem about his journey after his husband, Matt, encouraged Wood to get help.
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“I like to say that eating disorders are not about food. Food is just the tangible evidence that something's going on inside,” said Wood.
Wood said his eating disorder was a manifestation of other mental health issues.
“It was anxiety. It was this need for perfection. I also battled OCD and PTSD from losing my parents at a young age, all of those different factors were contributing to my eating disorder,” Wood said.
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Also, participating is Joce Leo, an art student who is bisexual. Leo said their eating disorder was delayed, because they didn’t fit the typical stereotype.
“There's no race that eating disorder takes the form of. It's not just teenage girls, it's not just straight women. Anyone can have an eating disorder,” Leo said.
Makailah Dowell started showing symptoms at age 10 while living on public assistance with her grandmother, but her diagnosis took years.
“It was actually my dentist who ended up diagnosing me when I was around 17, because my oral decay was so bad, that couldn't ignore it anymore,” Dowell said.
Dowell will join Leo, Wood and 18 others at the upcoming production of “This Is My Brave,” a non-profit that uses performance art to end stigma around mental health.
The first-ever event focused on eating disorders is planned at the McCormick Auditorium at Northwestern University. Tickets are available to attend in person, but the event will also be streamed online.
“We also wanted to have that virtual element because that's what ANAD is all about. We have virtual support groups, we have our helpline where we can answer calls from people all across the country,” Wood said.
For warning signs of eating disorders, other resources to help and ticket information, click here.
