This Is The Untold Story Of How a Woman Weighing 35 Pounds Defied All Odds

Lora Marsh was just 13 years old when her eating disorder began. By age 27, the artist from Charleston, South Carolina, weighed just 35 pounds and was on the verge of death. So close in fact, that she gave her mom Power of Attorney in case she passed away.

"My body was shutting itself down," Marsh told Newsweek. " I realized that I needed help if I was going to live when I saw my life falling apart before my eyes."

But 10 months after admitting herself to the ICU, Marsh's recovery has been astounding. Now a healthy weight, she runs her own successful art business, Pixie Storm Studios.

On December 9, Marsh posted a tweet sharing her amazing recovery. Using a picture taken just before she admitted herself for treatment, and one taken recently, Twitter users were stunned by her transformation.

The tweet went viral, receiving over 113,000 likes and more than 30,000 retweets.

How Many Americans Have An Eating Disorder?

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), 28.8 million Americans will battle an eating disorder during their lifetime, totaling 9 percent of the U.S. population.

Some 10,200 eating disorder-related deaths occur annually—that's one death every 52 minutes.

Anorexia nervosa, commonly referred to as anorexia, is typically identified by an unusually low body weight (although this isn't always the case), an extreme fear of gaining weight, and a skewed perception of body weight and appearance.

Sufferers are often preoccupied with their size and body shape, restricting their food intake and often exercising an unhealthy amount.

No matter how many pounds they shed, anorexia sufferers are still terrified of gaining weight. This fear can take over their lives, impacting relationships and careers, along with a sufferer's health. Even celebrating holidays with loved ones can be difficult, especially if the event is particularly food-oriented, such as Thanksgiving.

Along with anorexia, Marsh has also been diagnosed with bulimia. People with the condition typically binge eat, usually in secret, and then purge in response. Although bulimia is commonly associated with vomiting after meals, purging also includes taking diet pills and abusing laxatives, among other compensatory measures.

Eating disorders can develop at any age, but typically begin during a person's teen years. However, there have been cases identified in children as young as 10.

Can Parents Cause Eating Disorders?

In 1978, German psychologist Hilde Bruch, who was considered a pioneer in the treatment of anorexia at the time, published the book The Golden Cage. She theorized that the condition was caused by "mothers so controlling that they didn't allow their daughters to develop a separate sense of self". The idea that a parenting style could trigger eating disorders became popular, and a scholarly article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 1983 said that "varieties of parenting failure can cause anorexia nervosa."

By the '90s, the narrative evolved and suggested that parents impacted their children's eating through their own attitudes about food and weight.

However, new research suggests parenting styles may not have as much of an impact as originally thought, but rather, genetics are the main cause. Genetics account for somewhere between 40 and 60% of one's likelihood to develop an eating disorder. Eight genetic markers associated with anorexia nervosa were identified in 2019 by Bulik, one of the world's leading eating disorder researchers. She and her team are now working to do the same for other eating disorders including bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED).

Growing up, Marsh said she was surrounded by people dieting. Her parents both struggled with eating disorders, with her dad suffering from bulimia and her mom having anorexia as a teenager.

"Everyone in my family were constantly on different diet trends trying to lose weight and that mindset got drilled into me by accident," she said.

"I never felt good enough in my own body."

In the 5th grade, Marsh's friends started dating and she began to associate thinness with love.

"No one wanted to date me at that age," she said. "I thought no one would ever love me if I wasn't stick thin."

In her early teens, Marsh discovered pro-ana and pro-mia (pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia) websites. These sites promote the deadly behaviors that drive eating disorders, such as advising sufferers to shun food, tips on severely restricting calories, or techniques to secretly hide vomiting after meals.

The pro-ana and pro-mia websites, along with social media and images of super-slim models, helped fuel Marsh's eating disorder, which would continue for the next 14 years.

She was officially diagnosed with anorexia at age 13, and from the beginning, her parents were supportive. Her mother Renay, now 52, was able to understand her issues with food, but her dad, Jimmy, 55, blamed himself.

"He was so worried because he didn't know what to do about it," she said.

"My parents did everything they could to try and help. Mom did so much research on her own trying to find answers."

Marsh would try to recover several times throughout high school and college, but unfortunately relapsed. She would try to hide her decline from her loved ones, as she didn't want them to be concerned.

"They knew every time," she said. "They just didn't know how to bring it up to me."

'If I Didn't Get Help I Was Going to Die'

By age 27, Marsh was so ill she was "barely clinging to life." At just 35 pounds, she struggled to do everyday tasks, such as washing herself or driving. She had to use a cane to walk around her home, and spent the majority of her time in bed trying to stay warm.

"My body constantly was in pain and I felt helpless," she said. "I had double vision and my voice had gotten weak and raspy.

"It hit me that if I didn't get help I was going to die."

On February 12, Marsh was ready to admit herself for treatment. Her family took her to The Medical University of South Carolina, which has a dedicated eating disorder recovery unit. However, as the ward was focused on teenagers, it was initially difficult for Marsh to get admitted.

"My mom got the head of that unit to agree to work with my doctors on my case since I'm 27," she said.

During her six-week stay, Marsh had to learn how to eat normally again, as her body struggled to digest any food that wasn't a liquid.

"I was allowed to plan out my own meals from the hospital's cafeteria with the help of my nutritionist so I would be mentally prepared for the food when it arrived," she said.

When things got tough, Marsh would call her family on the phone, but they also visited regularly.

She said her mom was her rock during the process and is "thrilled" with her recovery.

"She's been by my side since this started 14 years ago and has always been my biggest fan," Marsh said.

"She never stopped believing in me and never allowed me to give up on myself and my recovery goals."

Since leaving the facility in March, Marsh has gone from strength to strength. Her business, which she began in 2018, gave her something to focus on while she was ill. Pixie Storm Studios (@PixieStrmDesign) now has almost 30,000 followers on social media, and Marsh recently got into a new relationship with a man who shares her artistic vision.

"When I first admitted myself, I had hopes for how great my life could be, but I never could have imagined it being as amazing as it is now," she said.

"My quality of life has improved so much and I no longer feel limited on what I can do and achieve."