The Lilac Ribbon as the official international symbol against Eating Disorders!
By SANDRA ZODIACO
The Italian “lilac wave” crosses borders to join Eating Disorders activists in their fight globally!
We do act together to break stigma in the sign of the Lilac Ribbon!
by Sandra Zodiaco
Something begun out of love, hope and a desire for change has turned into a global symbol uniting us all across nations, as last year Mi Nutro di Vitanon-profit Italian association approached the World Eating Disorders Day (WEDD) team about partnering with the Italian ‘Lilac Ribbon’ campaign, launched by Mr. Stefano Tavilla who lost his daughter Giulia to ED in 2011. The WEDD Steering Committee finally decided to adopt the ‘Lilac Ribbon’ as the official symbol for the 3rd World Eating Disorders Day on June 2, 2018 and beyond. Last February at the National Health Institute in Rome (Italy) our Lilac Ribbon finally took off and platform to the world, thus ideally creating an inter-national “bridge” uniting activists from different countries in one symbol to break the stigma and raise awareness on Eating Disorders.
The language of these diseases is complex to decode, often incomprehensible for those who do not know it. How can you stop eating or eat till you burst, sometimes until you die? Eating is a gesture so spontaneous, so natural, so human. Often in the eyes of those who do not know Eating Disorders, there is only anger and contempt towards a self-inflicted punishment without having a real reason to do so. Yet the real reason is the symptom, the Eating Disorder itself, which is only a spy, hiding a deep unease and a great suffering which need, and always deserve, to be brought to light, to be welcomed and listened to. As there is no uneasiness which does not deserve to be welcomed, there is no pain which is not worth the attention and the respect.
“Beyond the personal tragedy of a father who lost his daughter to ED, at first there was above all the anger and frustration of a father who understood how much his ignorance, unwanted and yet imposed by a system, could have negatively affected the illness of his daughter and the whole family environment hit by a disease so little socially considered, such as an eating disorder.
Hence came the desire to give the right paths of understanding to other parents and to create a new culture on EDs, in order to defeat that ignorance, the feelings of guilt, the loneliness, the silence surrounding these diseases and that I had lived first. Yet, something was missing, something uniting all those who were facing these problems, lacked a symbol, a symbol that represented all these purposes and unify them all, that is the Lilac Ribbon.” (Stefano Tavilla)
It was immediately a crescendo of accessions, as if everyone else was expecting for such an opportunity to come out into the open, not to feel more alone and to claim proper respect for these diseases, up to the present day. To the point of crossing the Italian borders, because if the diseases have no boundaries, neither do our claims.
The Lilac Ribbon is aimed to…
7th Italian Lilac Ribbon Day (2018):
100+ participants
130+ events in the whole country
1 only unifying symbol: the LILAC RIBBON across the globe!
Last March 15, the Lilac Ribbon Day was commemorated in Italy through a range of initiatives involving more than 100 bodies all over the country, in the sign of the lilac ribbon. So many voices – the voices of those who for too long remained in silence and solitude forced by suffering – launched a message of hope aimed above all at restoring the proper dignity and the right respect to that pain of which they too often do not seem to be worthy. Stories of people touched in different ways from eating disorders, but united by one only important goal: fighting for life.
Many life stories are thus joined in one single symbol – the Lilac Ribbon – in a lilac heart beating as one. This unity is our strength, it is the strength nourishing our commitment to raise awareness in those who still do not know these illnesses, about the major causes and the devastating effects that Eating Disorders determine in the individual and his/her family, to give hope, as this pain can come to an end!
As a symbol of the FIGHT against Eating Disorders, the Lilac Ribbon is aimed TO SPREAD AWARENESS on the possibility to treat these illnesses.
As a symbol of BRINGING TOGETHER those who have lived for too long in the solitary confinement imposed by these illnesses, the Lilac Ribbon is aimed TO GATHER in a single choir the voices of those witnessing with their stories that recovery from EDs is possible.
As a symbol of RESPECT for those who are suffering, the Lilac Ribbon is aimed TO SUPPORT patients, families and parents, as well as all those who are bravely fighting for life, day by day, to regain their freedom to be themselves, never giving up.
As a symbol of HOPE for those who have felt constrained in silence and solitude by suffering for too long, the Lilac Ribbon is aimed TO GIVE VOICE AND DIGNITY BACK to those who thought they had lost them forever.
As a symbol of MEMORY, the Lilac Ribbon is aimed TO REMEMBER those who lost their lives due to an Eating Disorder.
As a symbol of A COMMUNITY OF SHARED GOALS, the Lilac Ribbon is aimed TO BUILD a new culture, based on active listening, to break through the wall of prejudices and make room for the force of sharing.
The importance of witnessing
Along the way, along my path of growth and rebirth, I emptied my suitcase full of insecurities, lonely voids and fears, to fill it with encounters, looks, words but also silences, those silences that words cannot fill and to which only Emotions can respond. And, above all, tears: tears of emotion, of joy and sincere affection, tears of Life. Until recently, I had no idea how much life can exist beyond the pain, despite the pain, I did not believe that from pain can come our rebirth… Indeed, from pain and suffering life can be reborn, from pain and suffering you can start to rebuild, brick by brick, your own happiness.
This is just the beginning of a long journey together with many other voices witnessing the strength and courage that harbour in those who have known an eating disorder, directly or indirectly, and in those who have gone through the pain in all their strength to free themselves from their fears, and win it. Special souls from all over Italy, and beyond, always travelling by my side, despite the many kilometres that separate us. Special souls who taught me the importance and value of witnessing, that in suffering there is, despite all, hope, and that the words spoken with the heart have a great power, that is creating human bridges, to make us feel less lonely. Special souls with a lilac heart, who helped me rediscover the beauty of sharing, because sharing halves the pain and multiplies the joy.
About Sandra
I am 27 years old and am on my way to full recovery from Anorexia Nervosa, dedicating my time and efforts to fight against eating disorders and the stigma surrounding these illnesses. I collaborate with Mi Nutro Di Vita non-profit association as a volunteer, communication and media manager. I have been coordinator of the Italian Lilac Ribbon Day activities since 2016, and speaker at national conferences and meetings on eating disorders throughout Italy. Since 2018 I am a member of the WEDDay Steering Committee. I am author of the autobiographical book “Beyond: Confessions on (my) Eating Disorder(s)” (2018) which tells my story of recovery from an eating disorder. Currently I work as a Counselor for international students at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
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