Our names
are Kathy and Jim Stockman. By profession, Kathy is a Literacy Consulant for a local School Board Jim is a retired
Consulting Forester, Sun Life Financial Advisor and Semi-Professional
Musician/Jazz Educator. We live in a beautiful, small, rural fishing and
tourism community in western
For almost 7 years, beginning in 7th grade of Junior
High School, our daughter had a severe eating disorder.
She has survived, and we are so happy (now in 2008!) to report,
she has recovered….where
others, including some of her closest young friends, have not. Remarkably
also, her family has survived and
recovered....her mother, father and brother all traveled the treacherous
journey with her...and with each other.
When she was first diagnosed with her illness, medical doctors in
our area could offer very little information or guidance to our family and knew
little about the nature of the anorexia, then the bulimarexia with which she suffered and which her family had
to live with for 7 years after her she turned13 years old. There was no
such thing as a “support group” for parents let alone any
understanding at all in the community....”What is an ‘eating disorder’?... Why did she choose to do this to herself?...What kind of parents are you?....” We heard it
all. Our daughter eventually spent more than a year as an inpatient at a
respected Canadian children’s hospital, her 11th Grade of high
school....it was crushing to us as parents to think
that this incredibly talented and gifted young girl might not even graduate
from high school.
As parents, we came to know the importance of “ finding
good information ”, of
developing a solid understanding of eating disorders (as much as that is
possible), of the vital importance of a “ support group ” of parents, friends and community. Most
importantly, we had to develop coping skills to keep our family intact and
healthy so that we also would survive so that we could be there, not only for
our daughter, but for ourselves.
We do not pretend to be experts in the knowledge and
medical/psychiatric treatment of eating disorders. There are large
amounts of documented
information available about what eating disorders are and there are
well-trained medical personnel out there who are doing excellent work with
persons suffering from eating disorders. What
we have to offer is our experience as parents and family; we can pass on to
other parents how we dealt with the extreme personal and financially
debilitating side effects of our daughter’s illness. Most
importantly, we can pass on what we learned about what NOT to do. We
learned that there are a number of personality and psychological determiners that,
had we been more aware of such things earlier in her life, we MIGHT not have
had to experience such a treacherous journey. We can put a personal face
on this insidious mental illness. We want to do our best to inform
parents (EARLY in their parenting lives!) and community that
eating disorders/disordered eating are now rampant, almost epidemic in
our society.
Through our Edcoms
Presentations we deliver the message that it is vitally important that we
ALL become informed and to do our best to make sure that our children,
grandchildren and the children of our neighbours do
not succumb...or if they do....what our roles should be and how we, and they,
might survive.
It is our hope that you will continue to explore our web-site and
follow the links we have provided and to try to become more aware of the nature
of eating disorders. It is our hope that you will learn what YOU can do
to be KNOWLEDGEABLE of the types of situations and conditions which are
encouraging the spread of these terrible illnesses and to become a SUPPORTIVE,
PROACTIVE and INFORMED member of your family and community.
Edcoms Presentations was the fortunate
recipient of funding from the Nova Scotia Department of Health - Mental Health Branch which allowed Kathy and Jim to make a limited
number of NO COST presentations in communities throughout the
- Home and School Associations
- Parent Support Groups
- Church and Community Groups
- Youth Leadership organizations/workshops
- Professional/Academic Organizations (medical, nursing, media,
business, community college and university students etc)
- Education organizations - Teacher In-services, Guidance
Counseling Organizations, Administrative workshops etc.
- Conferences and Workshops - topical of children, youth, family,
health, anti-bullying/teasing etc.
We look forward to hearing from those interested in arranging for
us to make a presentation in their community although since Provincial funding has been fully expended, costs incurred
for travel, accommodation expenses etc. may be required.
Kathy and Jim have also assembled a fairly comprehensive library of books and
videos related to Eating Disorders. It is strongly suggested that you
read as much current and credible information as possible in order to become
educated and informed.
There is an old African saying which states: “It takes a
community to raise a child.” Kathy and Jim would like to modify this to a
North American styled version which would be: “It takes an INFORMED
community to raise a HEALTHY child.”
Thank you so much for visiting and for taking the time to tour
our web-site.
Kathy and Jim
Stockman
To enquire
about a presentation click here
Edcoms Presentations