A woman who suffers from an eating disorder is calling attention to the gaps in the health care system that she says she has left without any supports.
VOCM News has spoken with Erica, who wishes not to share her last name, about her plight.
Erica has been suffering from anorexia for about 20 years, and last year she relapsed.
She went through the Hope Program locally, and eventually through a private treatment center in Ontario.
When she was released, the Hope Program and the Ontario center agreed to put her on a modified recovery model, however when she returned to the province she was informed that would be changed to a full recovery model.
Erica tried that model, but lost three pounds, which she insists isn’t uncommon and can be attributed to general weight fluctuations. However, she was told that if she lost any more weight she wouldn’t be allowed to continue the program.
That left Erica feeling defeated, and the disorder took hold once again. She lost even more weight resulting in her being asked to leave the program.
Friend Deanne Glavine has been advocating in public on behalf of Erica. She says her friend was told the wait list for a program through the Health Authority is closed, leaving her with no options for support.
Erica has told Glavine that she feels like she has been given a “death sentence.”