Dear Eating Disorder

I initially didn’t understand how you creeped into my mind and body but I have “connected the dots” over the years. As an intersex person/person with variations of sex characteristics (VSC), I lost control over my body before I could even form memories. Surgery was imposed on me, and then my intersex medical history and intersex traits were kept a secret from me. This was ironically an attempt to help me but the opposite occurred. You provided a false sense of control which for many years caused me to spiral out of control. Eventually you became an identity for me, something I latched onto, when I didn’t know who I really was. I began to work against you, realizing what I can do without you. You will be a historical part of my past but you are no longer an identity I wish you to prioritize. Without the eating disorder I am: an advocate, educator, sister, friend, dog mom, and much more.

-Marissa Adams, she/her