WILSON
THE B LLBOARD
SPRING 2017 ISSUE 3
WILSON COLLEGE
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
FRIDAY, APRIL 7 2017
Molly McElroy: Eating Disorder Survivor IN THIS ISSUE... ple at school. I don’t If you attend Wilson normally lie. I don’t College, you most likely like hurting people. know about the BeautiBut ED didn’t care, ful Me campaign. And and he took over my chances are, you know body,” stated McElroy. Molly McElroy ‘17, too. McElroy only realMcElroy is the foundized the bad influence er of Beautiful Me, an of her friend ED after awareness campaign she witnessed her fathat supports the posither battling cancer in tive side of body imthe hospital. Despite age. “Discover your being in a life-threatown greatest self and ening situation himunderstand that you self, McElroy’s father are beautiful in your still encouraged his own way,” Beautiful daughter to fight ED. Me’s website states. “He pulled me over to Watching her work the bed and told me to and witnessing her never stop fighting, to easy interactions with never give up on myself: all sorts of people, ‘You are stronger than you’d be hard pressed you think you are, show to guess that McElroy this world what Molly once suffered from ancan do,’” McElroy reorexia. McElroy’s prob- Molly McElroy ‘17 Photo provided by Beautiful Me Campaign Website called her father’s words lem started when her older sister—and best friend— her eating disorder “ED” and while lying on the hospital bed. She knew she had to “break Maggie left for college. She considered it her best friend. up” with ED. “ED was like “ED came to me when I lost admitted getting herself ina bad boyfriend, always tryvolved in uncomfortable situ- all my friends, when I was ing to tell me what to do, beations with friends, “who were sad, when I didn’t know what ing critical and negative,” hurtful and bad influences.” else to do. ED comforted me. McElroy began to experience He told me great things like I she said. “He had to go!” McElroy went into recovery physical stomach pains that don’t need to get off the couch, as she took part in projects prevented her from eating, I don’t need to go to school that made her think about which later resulted in rapid because I suck at it anyway, herself. Instead of focusing weight loss. The doctors per- that I was not good enough, formed many tests, but the re- not pretty, and that I would on what ED wanted, more ofsult always came out negative. only be happy if I was skinny. ten she thought about “what Despite having a background The voices inside my head Molly wanted.” She started in counseling, Pat McElroy, told me that nothing mat- to work on her diet as well Molly’s mother, did not fore- tered in life,” said McElroy. as her academic life. She beMcElroy started to see a ther- came student of the month, see the long term influence of a sibling leaving for college. apist for six months. No one no- which led to student of the She and her husband, Tom, ticed any changes as ED never year, and also got accepted to went through a hard time as left her side and took control three out of four colleges she they watched their daughter of her body. ED made McElroy applied to. McElroy was surlose herself to eating issues. believe that the therapist only prised but very happy about Pat McElroy said, “As a mom, wanted her to change her ap- her accomplishment, and she I desperately wanted to fix pearance by gaining weight. stated she thought she could this for Molly and it was very McElroy even lied when the have never made it this far. McElroy became more hard realizing that I wasn’t therapist asked her to track with talking the one who could fix things.” everything she ate in a journal. comfortable “I lied to my parents on about her eating disorder Later on, a therapist concluded that McElroy indeed had an what I ate at school, lied to as she gained more confieating disorder. McElroy called the therapist, and lied to peo- dence after her ED recovery.
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News 4
Feature 5
Interim Chaplain International Students
Campus 6-7, 12
Mixed Gender Housing Wacky Wagers Emotional Support Animal (ESA)
Student Travel 8-9 Arts 10-11
Author’s Wall Social Paint Night Orchesis: Dancers on the Edge
Entertainment 13-15
PAX Gaming Convention Review: “Beauty and the Beast”
Calendar 16
She said, “Before, when I told my sister, I had to turn out all the lights in the room and then text her what was wrong with me. I was so embarrassed. It was so hard to talk about it.” With the help of her mother, McElroy arranged a talk in front of her high school assembly, which received an outpouring of support from her fellow students. The Beautiful Me campaign came to life soon after McElroy’s speech and continued with her through her years at Wilson College. McElroy’s recovery has become an inspiration to her fellow friends everywhere she goes. “I found that by helping others see the goodness in themselves, and watching them like a reflection in the mirror, I started to see that in myself,” shared McElroy. “I found my passion in life and my own recovery. Now I want to help people find theirs. And so was born the Beautiful Me campaign in 2012.” Continued on page 7...