Rising Above | Gretchen's Story

Growing up, Gretchen played competitive soccer with the dream of following in her father’s footsteps and playing soccer at Ohio State. In high school, she thought that losing a little weight would make her more competitive, faster, and stronger. Gretchen says that’s when she started down the road of an eating disorder. In her freshman year, she was sidelined due to injuries. Looking back, Gretchen says she wasn’t healthy enough to play. She tried treatment elsewhere before admitting to Rogers eating disorder inpatient care then moving into residential eating disorder treatment. “Rogers recognized I had lost this identity and I was kind of hopeless” says Gretchen. “They did a phenomenal job of showing me that you aren’t what you do, you aren’t how much you weigh, you aren’t how you look. You are Gretchen with all these positive qualities.”