A man learns what women more often know:the emotional and physical trauma of anorexia. by Paul C. Mihalak Why did I end up like this? How did my life turn out so wrong? These questions and many others rumbled like a freight train through my foggy brain. The bright lights of the emergency room…
Read moreYear: 2015
My Turn to Die
Navigating the ups and downs of addictive behavior. by K. P. Rojas The letter sat on my desk, unopened. Why was I afraid to open it? Because I knew there was something in that letter I didn’t want to read, didn’t want to tackle. I had no idea its pages would lead to a…
Read moreMy Daughter’s Addiction
The “perfect “child creates the perfect nightmare. by Connie Vigil Platt Most mothers think their children are the best at everything. That’s how I felt about my daughter, Kathy. She was beautiful: tall and slim with flawless skin that seldom produced the usual teenage blemish. Her teeth were white and straight. Others often commented…
Read moreMs. Jekyll, Monster Hyde
Winning the secret battle over bulimia. by Kimberly Davidson An insatiable monster crept into my life unnoticed. It started when I lost fifteen pounds. “You’re so thin!” people told me. “You look terrific!” I longed for more praise. What began at age seventeen as a mere diet turned into a battle with a life-zapping…
Read moreUnderstanding Gambling
The facts about a hazardous addiction. by Jeri Darby Gambling will consume your last cent and leave you frantically seeking new sources of cash. It has an insatiable appetite, demanding more and more. It is a vice, or a bad habit. But while everyone has vices in a general sense, not all vices are…
Read moreHealing from Co-Dependency
Going to the depths to find connection with God. by Julie Guirguis Tears stung my red, puffy eyes. My heart felt like a thousand daggers had been thrust into it. As I watched Paul walk away, the knot in my stomach told me it was over. I struggled with the urge to run after…
Read moreHymn of Healing
Old words bring new life. by Carolyn Appleyard as told to Dan Lewis Campbell I knew the drill; I’d been down this road before. The room number was different, but when I closed my eyes, it was the same: the sounds, the smells — hospital smells — the feel of sterile sheets enfolding me…
Read moreEmergency Landing
Putting trust to the test. by Karen Foster I’m no stranger to commercial air travel. I’m not afraid to fly. However, I still listen when the flight attendant says, “Please give us your full attention while we review the emergency procedures.” That’s because an emergency landing once got my full attention. It was Veteran’s…
Read moreA New Perspective
Coming to grips with the sanctity of life. by Teresa Cook* I sat deep in thought at the nurse’s station as monitors beeped softly from the darkened rooms of the four-bed intensive care unit. “Your patients are all stable,” my head nurse had said earlier when she made assignments. “It should be an uneventful…
Read moreJust Us
In our anti-grace world, a little love and kindness go a long way. by Kristina M. Santos On a summer day I visit my mother-in-law in the nursing home. I sit beside her on the bed, holding the vanilla milkshake I’ve brought while she takes small sips. At ninety-eight years old, she’s confined to…
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