Kirtland High School graduate Meggie Feran has touched my heart.
She recently wrote a book entitled "To the Moon and Back, A Daughter/Mother Journey Toward Eating Disorder Recovery."
A few weeks ago, I read her book and I was lucky enough to do a follow-up interview with Meggie, her mother Karen Feran and various family members.
My story about this woman's amazing journey is going to run on the front page of The News-Herald on Sunday.
What impresses me most about Meggie is her complete honesty.
She has not hesitated to answer every question I've had about her struggle with anorexia and bulimia.
It's just amazing.
When I read her book, I felt like I was in the same room with Meggie. She describes her emotional, mental and physical experience in great detail.
What I've learned through writing about her is we all deal with different problems in our lives. Sometimes, you don't even know what someone is experiencing. That is why you can not judge.
In Meggie's case, she is a beautiful, young woman who did not feel that way on the inside. She felt fat, worthless, depressed and unworthy. It's so hard to believe someone so beautiful (on the inside and outside) could feel that way.
The positive side is Meggie has pulled through six years of darkness and has finally seen the light.
She is still in recovery, but she is well on her way to leading a healthy life. She and her fiance Sam Sexton live in Columbus and they plan on getting married next summer.
To say Meggie has made a difference in my life is an understatement.
She has impacted me in ways I did not imagine.
Her story is real. Her struggle is raw and her message is powerful.
"Look at the moon," she writes in the final paragraph of her self-published book. "Believe in the power of God, and no matter where you are in life, no matter what struggle you are battling, everything will be okay."

-Theresa Neuhoff Audia