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Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating are serious emotional and physical conditions that can have life-threatening consequences. Kayla and Kim offered to share their story with SheKnows in the hopes of preventing others – boys and girls alike – from falling into the same dangerous lifestyle.

I first met Kayla Kovall when her mom Kim and I worked together on a church committee. A pretty blonde girl about to enter junior high school, Kayla was an exceptionally polite child, always impeccably dressed and groomed. Underneath the idyllic façade, however, Kayla was very unhappy. Her classmates cruelly teased Kayla, calling her fat – even though she most certainly was not. The incessant teasing was terribly painful for Kayla, and for Kim as well.

Do you have one? Eating disorders: A mom and daughter let us inside | Sheknows.com