Team Profile

Founder

Patrick Bergstrom is a 25-year-old former Division III college lacrosse player recovering from a four-year battle with an eating disorder. For the majority of that time, his problem was merely diagnosed as a drinking problem. His peers, society, and the media misinformed him. He was told, “men cannot suffer from an eating disorder.” Patrick is a testimony that men can suffer the horrible fate of an eating disorder, yet his passion to live, competitive nature and faith helped make his recovery possible.

Patrick is a business administration graduate from Wesley College in Delaware. His focus was in marketing and creative writing. He plans to use his writing to both inspire and educate others about the startling realities of Eating Disorders. While in recovery, he wrote his life story, “A Fallen Athlete,” which details the horrifying truth to being a male athlete with an eating disorder. This true-life story touches on the events leading up to and through his recovery. Patrick also wrote several poems to help others better understand the mindset of those suffering from an eating disorder. His first poem, “Heart,” leads the reader on an emotional journey of the thought process of an individual suffering from ED. “The Great Oaks,” explores the safety and strength the oak trees provided in recovery. This the one place where the “Enabling Dictator” could never go.

To the world Patrick is misunderstood, looked down upon and characterized as weak. To those that know him, he is seen as a friend, a son, a brother, a survivor, a dreamer, a fighter, a leader, and a believer. There are times he feels alone in the world, and there are moments where it seems that he will walk this earth with ED (eating disorder) forever imprinted on his forehead. He has accepted this fate, and greets each day with a smile on his face. He faces those who oppose his cause with a kind heart and embraces them with love. Patrick stands for love, life and freedom and fights for eating disorder education and advocacy. Those that have suffered or are suffering from ED are the most misunderstood classification of people in the world. Why can we accept and understand drug and alcohol problems in our society but not be able to comprehend an eating disorder? The simple answer is that they just are not talked about in public. We are ignorant of the causes, effects, and severity of this very life-threatening and rapidly growing illness. Society tends to be too quick to judge based on what is known rather than on trying to make sense of the unknown. Patrick’s passion and purpose is to change this perception and ultimately to decrease the number of men and women affected by eating disorders in our country.

Captain

Jennifer Meyer is currently a 27-year-old senior at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. She plans to graduate in December with a major in psychology and a minor in criminal justice. Jen struggled with both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa for the majority of her life. The disorder started at the young age of 11 and progressed until she sought recovery in the beginning of 2008. Jen’s journey has been long but her faith in God and will to never give up has allowed her to live again. She is now in her third month of recovery and will be a survivor. When she left recovery, she too, chose to live!

Jen is currently working as a Case Aid for abused children and is a dance teacher in her free time. She has been dancing for 25 years. She is a true people person, and has a real passion to help others. Jen is the first official member to join our team and has blessed us with her loving heart and courage. She offers a fresh female prospective to the truth and reality on body image and eating disorders, which so many young people are struggling with today. Jen is able to bring laughter to every situation and her story is truly heartfelt and inspirational. Her goal is to be a mentor to those struggling with ED and to lead them down the path to recovery and restored life!

Jen’s Story: Coming Soon……