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'A new spark for life' When Jena Savage sees young girls arriving at the children's center at Remuda Ranch in Wickenburg, she feels she is looking back in time. Nineteen years ago, when she was 10, Savage developed anorexia as a result of “some out-of-my-control things that happened in my life” — the death of her best friend and the addition of an adopted brother to her family. Stopping eating was a coping mechanism, Savage said. “I didn't decide 'OK, I can't control everything in my life, so I will control food,' but subconsciously I think I did this.” As Savage's weight dropped dramatically, her parents took her to doctors to determine what was wrong. Due to a lack of awareness about anorexia, Savage said, it took some time to be diagnosed. “Eating disorders were not as well-known as they are today.” After about a year, a physician suggested that Savage might have anorexia. Her parents immediately began taking her to a therapist. “It was at that point that I began my recovery,” she said. “I remember saying, 'I am sick of being sick.'” Savage's parents soon decided that the whole family needed a lifestyle change, so they moved from Scottsdale to a rural property in Wickenburg called Remuda Ranch. There, Savage said, she got “a new spark for life.” “When you are in an eating disorder, the spark just disappears — there is no joy anymore. When we moved to Wickenburg, I found that joy again.” The family lived on the ranch for five years. Then, to help people like his daughter, Savage's father, Ward Keller, decided to turn the family homestead into a facility for people with eating disorders. In January 1990, Remuda Ranch opened as a residential treatment center, but it wasn't until May of this year that it opened a program tailored exclusively for younger girls. “We had gotten calls for girls under 12, but up until now couldn't treat them,” said Savage, the director of marketing. On May 24, Remuda Ranch opened an intensive children's program designed specifically for girls ages 8 through 12. Savage said the new center, which contains 16 beds, is the only stand-alone residential treatment program for young children in the country. “Now we can take the girls and help them,” she said. Marian Eberly, vice president of patient care at Remuda Ranch, said the time was right to open the children's center because anorexia and bulimia are becoming increasingly common in young girls. “I have worked with eating disorders for 17 years,” Eberly said. “We've been aware of the downward trend for several years; there is an indication that we need it.” She said the latest statistics offer a sobering explanation for why so many girls are developing eating disorders. Up to 80 percent of fourth-grade girls claim they are currently on a diet, and most say they “would rather die than be fat.” In addition, about 40 percent of girls in Grades 1 through 3 say they want to be thinner. In many cases, Eberly said, the girls' obsession with their size begins right at home, even though their parents may not realize it. “Parents need to be careful about working out their own issues,” she said. For example, Eberly said, if parents are always on a diet, it may negatively influence their daughter's behavior. “Parents will ask their daughters if they look fat,” she said. “Or they solicit their child's help with the parents' diets. Then kids may in turn police their own food intake.” Or parents may inadvertently comment on other people's weight or appearance instead of focusing on what Eberly calls "internal qualities, like being intelligent, kind and friendly." In addition, Eberly said, living in a country that equates thinness with success is also partly responsible for the rise in eating disorders in young girls. “Unfortunately, our culture is establishing the norms in terms of a healthy body image,” she said. Savage agrees: “Society plays a role in this; girls are bombarded with thousands of images that aren't even real.” Savage said family problems, trauma or abuse issues can lead to eating disorders, too. “It's not just one thing. There are many different factors,” she said. Although treating an eating disorder is never easy, Savage said, it is possible for young girls to recover fairly quickly. “When you catch it when you are young, you can often stop it before it becomes too ingrained,” she said. While both Eberly and Savage wish there wasn't a need for such a program, both are thrilled with the children's center. “I'm so excited,” Savage said. “Obviously I have a heart for that age since I suffered at that age.” “I have wanted to do this for several years now,” Eberly agreed. “I really want parents to know that there is hope and there is help.”
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