Venice, California
Spring 2013 · Comment ·
Chelsea Roff ’10 can pinpoint the moment she realized she had to overcome her severe eating disorder. It wasn’t when the scale read 58 pounds, or when her organs started failing, or when she entered the hospital. It was the day she stopped fighting treatment and the doctors and nurses determined to help her. “I regained consciousness on the floor of a padded room, my entire body paralyzed, and I remember thinking: ‘I’ve lost.’ That was the day I learned to surrender,” she says. “I allowed myself to be taken care of, and through that experience I rediscovered my will to live.” After 18 months of inpatient treatment, Roff was released from the hospital and put officially in charge of her own recovery. She went to her first yoga class a few months later. “Yoga put me in touch with my body. Most importantly, the desire to practice introduced me to a community of support that’s been so meaningful for my recovery.” Today, Roff is managing editor for Intent.com and teaches, writes, and speaks nationally about issues related to eating disorders, health policy, and social justice. Her story has been featured on major news outlets like CNN and The Huffington Post. “Sharing gives my life meaning,” she says.
