Women offered transitional living in Kansas City, steps to health after eating disorders difficult

FAIRWAY, Kansas - Eating disorders strike men and women alike. Ten million people in the United States suffer from anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating.

What it takes to become well again is not always found in hospital or residential treatment.

The only home in Kansas City intended for eating disorder transitional living will open its doors next week.

The co-founder and co-director of Thalia House , Amy Sullivan, said the home can hold up to eight women at a time.

“It does allow us to support the individual in their transition into life, into real world living," Sullivan explained.

On top of group support and expressive arts, Sullivan said the staff at Thalia House will provide, "Meal planning, grocery planning, restaurant outings, we have a cooking class each week."

Each one of the activities is aimed at teaching the women healthy eating habits in a safe environment.

The home was decorated by Twigs Interiors, LLC with bright and cheerful colors.. The throw pillows used throughout the home have inspirational messages printed on them.

Brooke Wesley is another co-founder. She knows first hand what it’s like to battle Anorexia.

"If doesn't seem to matter how many people are surrounding you. You really feel like nobody understands," Wesley explained.

Wesley was hospitalized at the age of 16 and says she wasn’t truly healed until five years later.

She was treated at hospitals and residential facilities. Afterward, her accountability and support came from live-in grandparents. She attributes the persistent nature of her family for her recovered health.

However, Wesley knows, not everyone is lucky enough to have a family like hers.

That’s why she’s put her heart and soul into making Thalia House a safe place for women in a very venerable situation.

She said, "I know that they can be better. I know that they can recover and so it doesn't take me back to a scary place at all. More than anything, it gives me hope for them."

Before Thalia House, women in the Kansas City area had to travel to Tulsa or St. Louis for transitional living care. This option, so close to home, gives women the chance to receive help and keep their jobs or schooling too.

The director of a similar home in Tulsa, the Laureate Magnolia House , says the patients that receive their transitional living care have better outcomes in recovery. Exact numbers aren’t available because how individuals recover from eating disorders vary.

Thalia House opens at the start of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week .