WebMD published an article I wrote, below is a small portion of it, so be sure to go to WebMD to read the whole article!
Your pain can be put into the past, and you can move forward and conquer whatever you want to do.
There was my gymnastics coach, Al Fong, talking with the Barbara Walters on TV about my ex- teammate Christy Henrich and her death by malnutrition/anorexia. I was floored at the conversation and the allegations that Al somehow, as her coach, was responsible for her eating disorder and subsequent death. I, too, had developed anorexia as a young teen, but I fortunately survived and thrived.
Christy was certainly our little "E.T. - Extra Tough." We were the start of Al’s coaching career at the Great American Gymnastics Express in Blue Springs, MO. There were about 20 of us who started out with him in the late '70s/early '80s, and we were in the gym all the time: 6 days a week, 3-4 hours per day.
We were there during the hottest days, doing conditioning (cardiovascular hell), getting rips on our hands from bars, falling off the beam, getting bruises, shin splints, and wearing ourselves out. It was some of the hardest work I’ve ever done — and the most fun, rewarding time of my life. We traveled all across Missouri in that blue van. We fought, cried, and loved each other. We were a family, and Al was our metaphorical Dad.
