Jack and Linda Mazur lost their 35-year-old daughter, Emilee, to anorexia in 2016.
Today, the New York couple is sharing Emilee’s story of struggle in hopes that no other lives are lost to eating disorders.
“The statistic I tell people — and they’re shocked — but every 52 minutes somebody’s dying as a direct result of an eating disorder,” Jack told Spectrum Local News.
Emilee was diagnosed with anorexia when she was 25 years old. It’s a medical condition affecting 20 million women and 10 million men in America at some point in their lives, the National Eating Disorders Association reported.
Despite her struggle, Emilee went on to become a pharmacist before she died. Her last wish was that her story be shared with others.
“There wasn’t hardly any support at that time for adults with eating disorders, and for family and loved ones,” Linda told the paper. “And eating disorders are so stigmatized. There’s so much shame for just having one.”
The Mazur’s launched a non-profit, The Emilee Connection, to support adults with eating disorders as well as their families.
They also wrote a book titled “Emilee: The Story of a Girl and Her Family Hijacked by Anorexia.”
According to Amazon, the book is the story of a beautiful, young woman — a talented athlete and musician, raised in a loving home, surrounded by friends — undermined by a ruthless inner voice that claimed her body and her spirit.
The full story and a video report can be found at Spectrum Local News.
After closing his business and enduring several painful years of uncertainty regarding what to do with his life, Greg founded Forward From 50 to help men and women over 50 to live more purposeful lives by pursuing things they are passionate about. A Wisconsin native, Greg currently lives in Arizona.