National Author Survived Eating Disorder

02/09/2016 

Cheryl Kerrigan will share the moving story of her struggle and recovery from a 25-plus year battle with anorexia on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at SUNY Cortland.

Her talk, “Bringing Recovery to Life,” based on her part-personal memoir, part self-help manual, Telling Ed NO! and Other Practical Tools to Conquer Your Eating Disorder and Find Freedom, will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Corey Union Function Room.

A candlelight vigil sponsored by Delta Phi Epsilon sorority will precede the event. Afterward, books will be available for purchase and signing.

Kerrigan’s presentation is the keynote address for the College’s Body Appreciation Week, which will run from Monday, Feb. 22, to Friday, Feb. 26. Sponsored by the Health Promotion Office, Counseling and Student Development, and the SUNY Cortland Auxiliary Services Corporation, this year’s Body Appreciation Week will feature a series of events pertaining to the circus theme, “It’s a Balancing Act!”

All programs of Body Appreciation Week 2016 are free and open to the public.

The talk also continues the spring Wellness Wednesday Series at SUNY Cortland, a semester-long schedule of speakers, exhibits and workshops designed to help students achieve wellbeing.

Kerrigan will share tools that she personally used to overcome her eating disorder. She will speak from her own experience and will perform a short song that she used as a coping mechanism.

“I hope that if there is anyone in the audience struggling with an eating disorder, they will gain some insight,” Kerrigan said.

In Telling Ed NO!, Kerrigan shares with her readers more than 100 practical tools that she used to overcome anorexia.

“There is not just one place to get all the tools to a full recovery,” she said. “Maybe some of them, one of them or all of these tools will help others in suffering get to a practical recovery.”

Growing up in Massachusetts, Kerrigan remembers struggling with the beginning stages of an eating disorder at age 5. As an early teen, she began a battle with anorexia that would last until her early 30s. In 2006, her family intervened and Kerrigan sought treatment.

In the midst of dealing with her eating disorder, Kerrigan received a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Regis College. She began a full-time career in finance. Recently, she has pursued a Masters in Social Work and will graduate in May from Boston University.

Check the College’s calendar for more information about Body Appreciation Week events, dates and times.

For more information about Body Appreciation Week or Wellness Wednesdays, contact Lauren Herman, the College’s health educator in the Health Promotion Office, Van Hoesen Hall, Room B-1, or at 607-753-2066.

Prepared by public relations intern Bethany Lunden