• Dying To Be Perfect by Susan Barry

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Loving mother, Susan Barry, and her family struggled through the long and painful hardships of losing her son TJ to an eating disorder. In attempts to raise awareness about this issue that affects millions of people worldwide, Susan started an annual 5k4TJ and wrote the book 'Dying To Be Perfect' as a guide for parents who are also dealing with children suffering from an eating disorder.

Susan stresses that most people don't understand that an eating disorder is not a choice; it is an illness. She says that "it's like telling somebody that's bipolar to only be the happy side of [their] personality."

The general awareness of eating disorders needs to be greater as many friends and other colleagues do not act on the severity the issue, or may not even be aware of it. Susan states that eating disorders need to be recognized early and taken into action because "nobody acts quickly enough, and then every single month that goes by it's worse and worse and worse."

As a result of the impact from TJ's story that has already touched many lives, 'Britt and TJ's Place' opened up specializing in therapy for eating disorders to start treating those in need.