At age 13, Christina Miranda’s first time away from home on her own was an inpatient stay at the Center for Eating Disorders Care at University Medical Center of Princeton. She had begun focusing on her weight during the summer before seventh grade, but this interest quickly turned into an obsession. Soon, the active, social cheerleader was avoiding friends and worrying her parents. Health issues became apparent when she passed out at school and was rushed to the hospital with an extremely low heart rate.
“Inpatient care was my only option,” recalls Christina. “I learned a lot of valuable things during treatment, but I wasn’t at the point where I was trying to get better for myself. I was complying with treatment to get back to my life.”
Five months after completing inpatient and partial hospital treatment, Christina fully relapsed and returned to the inpatient program at the Center for Eating Disorders Care.
Setting Sights on Recovery
“I realized that if I wanted to recover, it had to be for me,” says Christina. “There were days that it seemed impossible, but I started to believe I could do it. I was honest with myself and my treatment team, and I put my trust in them. I wanted to enjoy the other things that make me who I am—and that meant there was no place in my life for my eating disorder.”
Christina worked with her team to set small goals, or “tiny wins,” that brought her closer to her overall recovery goal. She integrated treatment tools into her home life with the help of her parents, and she started talking about her experience once she returned home. During her freshman year, she began coordinating National Eating Disorders Awareness Week activities at her high school—an undertaking that has evolved into a week-long annual event.
Now 18, Christina graduated from high school in June as valedictorian and student council president. She speaks about her experience at middle schools, hospitals, colleges, and treatment centers, including the Center for Eating Disorders Care. This fall, she is pursuing one of her dreams: attending the University of Pennsylvania to study neuroscience.
“Recovery is not only possible, but it’s worth it,” says Christina, who attributes both treatment experiences as integral to her journey. “I’ll never stop talking about it. I was able to overcome my eating disorder, and my mission is to pay it forward to others who are struggling.”
"In addition to early intervention, access to high-quality treatment, and supportive family or interpersonal relationships, one of the key predictors for effective recovery is hope,” says Lynnette Peoples, MSN, PMHCNS-BC, APN, Administrative Director for Hospital Psychiatry and Director, Center for Eating Disorders Care at University Medical Center of Princeton. “Sometimes the therapist must serve as the source of hope during times when recovery seems impossible to the patient, but nonetheless, hope is critical.”