I just wanted to say THANK YOU to ALL of the staff at Puente de Vida (PDV) for saving my life. When I first came to PDV I was scared and my eating disorder was even angrier. I did not want to give up my ED. My ED was defiant and I know at the beginning it was not easy, My ED was angry, sad, alone. But after a while my ED was not as loud and I realized that I was not alone. I was surrounded by peers and most importantly therapists, nurses, doctors, and an R.D. who really cared about me, who really cared about my life. Heather the dietician there is one of the best I have ever had in treatment. I especially want to thank her. During my worst days there my ED was not very nice to you, but you never gave up on me, always pushed me and believed in me. Thank you. I had been to a handful of treatment centers before I entered PDV and they were all right but the problem was I would go be there for a few months and then when I got out, I went right back to my old ways. Puente de Vida is small, it is not a big facility; they really focus on you and your care. Because it is so small it creates a safe environment, I always felt safe there. The therapy and therapists are amazing, never once at other places did I connect all the dots. PDV not only focuses on the ED and getting rid of it but they help you realize the underlying issue and they give you the necessary tools so that when you are done with treatment you can use what you learned so that you can successfully recover. One of the greatest things about PDV, and what I think is the reason why I recovered is that during my entire stay there, they actively communicated with my outside providers so that when I discharged everyone was all on the same place. We even had a few sessions while still in treatment with my outside therapist. I couldn't get away with anything - which is a GOOD thing. And when I discharged my ED couldn't lie to my therapist or doctor because they knew what had been going on the entire time. Being held accountable is what helped in my recovery. As anyone knows recovering from an ED is not easy and it is easy to slip into old ways quick...because PDV had such great communication with my outside team I had people to hold me accountable - it saved my life. Another great thing is when I stepped down to the partial program, they have a house you can live there are NO CHARGE. I lived there for free, and I was even local to the area and they let me stay there as long as I needed. I was with the other woman in the program who were at that partial level with me and that helped tremendously, they even have a person/staff there at nights so that if you are having a rough night you can talk to them, one of the women who stayed overnight at the house Raquel â?? was very supportive, very caring, she always made me feel safe yet making sure my ED didn't try to sneak things. That was another huge help that helped me recover in my ED. I also want to send a special thanks to Steve Schaefer L.C.S.W. He spent countless hours with me and my family through individual and family therapy. You are truly dedicated at what you do. You care so much about helping people and anyone who comes across you should be honored to have such a person invested in their well being and quality of care. Thank you for saving my life, my family thanks you too.
Thank you Puente de Vida!!
I wish everyone out there peace, love, happiness, and RECOVERY!!!!!!!
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