Anorexia nervosa (神经性厌食症) is an eating disorder that I struggled with for most of my middle school years and a part of my high school years.

    At Riverview,1was usually a nightmare for me. As I 2 the dining hall, all the eyes would be fixed upon my bony figure. I would take my place at a table full of friends and 3 to enjoy a "normal" lunch. The 4 was that I would not always eat lunch, and that greatly 5 my friends. They would watch to make sure that I was eating properly, almost 6 food into my mouth.

    And then, I transferred to Madison High School. I decided not to tell anyone at that school about my eating disorder since I had almost 7 by that time. Strangely, I stopped fearing lunch when I started at Madison. No one knew that I had an eating disorder,8 they did not care what I ate. This 9 a huge amount of stress from my life. It was still hard for me to eat in front of others, which is 10for an anorexic, but I was able to put some of my 11 aside.

    I was thankful for the students at Riverview, but they knew me only as an anorexic. My friends cared about my health, but they 12 to care about me as a person. Truthfully, all I wanted was for them to 13 me and not to fix on my eating disorder.

    The students at Madison took the time to know who I 14 was. They had no idea that I had been an anorexic, so that a particular label did not 15 their opinions of me. I was finally 16 for my talents and achievements, not my failures. I was honored as a good student. I was no longer afraid to show my true 17.

    My days as an anorexic taught me many lessons that I would never 18. They taught me about life and how to be a better friend. I learned about the joy of 19 tasks such as eating lunch. I appreciated the people who helped me to see that there is more 20 life than having an eating disorder.