Emma Stokes is a dance teacher, and at her thinnest, she weighed just 91 pounds.
Her grandmother died in March 2013, leaving her devastated, feeling like she’d “lost control.”
She began to only eat vegetables, cereal with watered-down milk, and the occasional piece of fish.
She would wake up every morning, go straight to the gym, and then teach at least four hours of dance every day.
“When people say anorexia you think they eat nothing,” said Emma. “But my problem was I was dancing for three or four hours a day and then going to the gym.”
She eventually cut out even the small amounts of food she was eating.
“If I was hungry, I would have naps throughout the day so I couldn’t eat,” said Emma. “I was living with my mum and she kept trying to feed me, but I have always been such a determined person that if I say I’m not going to do something, I don’t do it.”
Her family was afraid she was going to die. Her boyfriend Chris was especially worried.
She entered treatment in 2014, and began to try to eat again. She got a therapy dog to help her with it.
When she went for a walk with him one night, she tripped down the stairs and injured herself. She then got a stomach bug. After not being able to eat for 4 days, a miracle happened: she woke up with an appetite.
“It sounds dramatic, but I honestly think my body had just given up,” said Emma. “I was put on a drip and I was so weak. I told my mum I thought I was dying. But whatever was in the drip sorted me out and I woke up feeling much better.”
When she left the hospital, she got one last surprise—a touching note from her boyfriend.
It was a list, entitled “Why I want Emma to fully recover.” On the back, it said, “Will you marry me?”
She said yes.
Now, she’s on her way to recovery. Now she’s gained ten pounds. She’s back to teaching, and she’s started running in races.
“Every time I have bad thoughts I think about the bigger picture,” she says. “There are still foods tat scare me, and I think that is always going to be the way.”
Her and Chris are getting married in August.
