'Eating disorders don't discriminate'

Almost a year ago, Patrick Bergstrom was told he only had twelve months to live - unless he swallowed his pride and sought help.

"In March, it'll have been one year," Bergstrom said. "And I am not dead."

Bergstrom, a 25-year-old Maryland native and former Division III lacrosse player at Wesley College, was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in 2007.

Last night, Bergstrom talked about his fight to survive to an intimate group of about 10 students and faculty members at the Center for Health and Wellbeing's "I Choose to Live" presentation.

After 30 days of in-patient treatment and months of therapy, Bergstrom chose to tell his story - both through in-person presentations and on his website, www.ichosetolive.com - in hopes of helping others understand that "eating disorders don't discriminate."

"If I reach only one person in a group of five or 500, I've made a difference," he said. "I want to bring hope and inspiration to others."

Tracy Zeeger, the coordinator

of the Center for Health and Wellbeing, said she invited Bergstrom to speak to dispel the common misconception that men, especially athletes, cannot fall victim to eating disorders.

"It is not just a woman's issue," Zeeger said. "It affects men, too."

She added that about 1 percent of males at this university suffer from anorexia, and about 1 percent suffer from bulimia.

"The majority of my life, I thought eating disorders were about models, girls trying to lose weight," Bergstrom said, emphasizing his point by holding up two magazine covers criticizing Jessica Simpson's recent weight gain.

"I wasn't thinking right," Bergstrom added of his behavior at the time. "I needed to get help, but was embarrassed to ask because of the media stigma. I thought I had an eating disorder, but when I told people, they laughed at me. Boys don't have eating disorders."

Later, when Bergstrom built up the courage to go to a therapist with his problem, he was diagnosed with depression and binge drinking, rather than the deeper and more pressing issue of anorexia.

Despite his continuous struggle to maintain a normal life with the disease, Bergstrom played club lacrosse at the University of Tennessee and Division III lacrosse for three years at Wesley College. He spent much of his free time at the gym, drinking with friends and keeping up his grades. All along, however, Bergstrom was not eating and was unhappy with his life, he said.

"I lived a secret life," he said. "It was a mess. ... I was slowly becoming not-myself. I didn't eat lunch. I probably didn't eat dinner, but I was still running three miles a day."

During this time, Bergstrom started to display common signs of anorexia, such as pale skin, thinning hair and a constant feeling of being cold.

About one year ago, Bergstrom broke down crying in a friend's living room and asked for help.

Recovery has not been easy for Bergstrom, but is part of the reason he said he shares his story - to make the path back to healthy behavior easier for others like him.

"There are days when I feel depressed," he said. "I'm not ashamed of it anymore, though. It's a blessing to live each day."

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