Let's F.E.A.S.T.

The F.E.A.S.T. community put together an all-day event in Chicago, one day after the International Conference for Eating Disorders ended, with little notice and a lot of heart. It was a day none of us will forget! We counted 87 people in the room, a generous mix of parents new to the topic of eating disorders and experienced parents, as well as clinicians and researchers and eating disorder advocates. Among our thanks for an informative and empowering day are the venue, The Conference Center At University Center. An ideal setting for our audience the room was lovely, the staff warm and helpful, and the catering was, as one participant described it, " quite the best packed lunch I've ever experienced at an organised event." See below for the final program, but suffice it to say it was a buffet of interesting ideas, people, inspiration, and accents! There were participants from at least nine countries, and there were tears of both laughter and sadnes...

It was a busy week in Chicago for the F.E.A.S.T. community! Staff, volunteers, and almost all of the Board of Directors were in Chicago this month to gather, learn, collaborate, and think about the future of eating disorder care and support, and what role our community can play in that bright future. Our exhibitor table #212 was a lively center of activity during the whole Academy for Eating Disorders conference, an annual scientific conference put on by the Academy For Eating Disorders. We held a "candy poll" daily to engage visitors, a new feature of our table, and a popular one. candies from a member in Russia to add to the lollies, sweets, candies, and chocolates brought for our table by Board members and Advisory panel, so we had UK, Wales, Australian, New Zealand, US, and Canadian yummy things! Taking picture of the daily candy poll results Parents from around the world attended workshops, plenaries, and Keynote presentations...

WHAT: F.E.A.S.T’S NEW US TASK FORCE CHAIR WANTS TO MEET YOU AT BEDA/NEDA WHERE: BROOKLYN, NOV 2-4 WHO: PARENTS/CARERS LET’S CONNECT DURING THE BEDA CONFERENCE WEEKEND  WHETHER YOU CAN ATTEND OR NOT! It’s the one-week countdown to BEDA/NEDA 2017 in Brooklyn, NY and I am will be there and am very excited. Advocates, researchers, and family members will be gathering to learn and share and network. As the new US Task Force Chair for F.E.A.S.T. I’m excited to help gather and introduce and get to know as many families in the community that I can! If you are going to be in Brooklyn as part of attending the conference, or just in the area and want to meet others, please contact me! You can email me at [email protected], or leave comments on this post, or private message me. It’s the perfect way to meet oodles of passionate, smart people. I already know some of those who will be there, including F.E.A.S.T.’s Outreach Director, Laura Collins Lyster-Mensh, and o...

"Wasting Away": A Channel 4 Documentary Mark and Maddy Austin. Photograph: David Hogan/Channel 4 To those who have watched, heard about, or who are discussing the Channel 4 Documentary “Wasting Away” , broadcast Thursday August 24, 10pm in the UK … … a blog post from F.E.A.S.T.'s Chair I watched the powerfully affecting documentary aired on Channel 4 last week, although I didn’t really want to; not because I don’t care about the story of Mark and his daughter Maddy and the effects of her illness on all of their family, and not because I don’t care about the others who were featured, many of whom have been failed or are failing within the scope of UK healthcare, but because I do care, very much.  And because I knew that I would be affected, my family having once been affected by an eating disorder too, and because of what I have seen of how eating disorders have affected many families over my many years of volunteering for F.E.A.S.T. Anyway, I watched, and a...

It is with both congratulations and sincere appreciation that the F.E.A.S.T. Board of Directors announces that our Vice-Chair, Lisa LaBorde from Canada, is leaving the board for other commitments. “It has been an honour being a part of the FEAST board. I am so proud of all that FEAST does, and I have no doubt the board will continue these successes in the future." LaBorde said in her recent resignation letter. LaBorde has been a valued F.E.A.S.T. community member, volunteer, board member, Outreach Director, and most recently our Vice Chair. Her strong advocacy for fellow parents, her diplomacy, and her thoughtful problem solving have served the organization so well in the years she has been involved. We congratulate her for graduating from the responsibilities of the Board of Directors and for demonstrating our strong shared value of “Family First.” We appreciate all she has done for the community and for each of us individually as our colleague and friend. I want to also pe...