Woman nearly killed by eating disorder

On Dec. 2, she walked into the garage of her Normal, Ill., home and had a heart attack brought on by complications of her eating disorders. "I found her dead — no pulse, no breathing — on the floor of the garage," recalled her husband, Jayson Brady. He yelled for his mother — Brenda Brady, a registered nurse — who was visiting. She called 911 and administered CPR to restore Jamie's pulse. Paramedics took over from there. Jamie was brought back to life but Jayson was warned that she would be a shell of her former self. Lack of oxygen-rich blood flow to her brain for those few minutes on Dec. 2 resulted in brain damage. Fifty-six days of inpatient treatment followed. In progress that Jayson considers "absolutely remarkable," Jamie walked back into her home Feb. 3. She has a long way to go in her recovery. But as she continues outpatient therapy, she took time last week to warn others about the dangers of untreated eating disorders. No eating disorders," said Jamie, who speaks haltingly. "If you're having problems with weight or anything, you need to be treated. It will kill you. "I did it and it killed me," the 34-year-old woman said. "I was dead and I did it from being thin. Now I need some doctors to help me. "I had the heart attack because I had a real bad eating disorder," Jamie confessed. "For 20 years, I was vomiting or not eating for a day or two or three. I would drink a lot of water." While Jamie's experience is extreme, it casts light on eating disorders as an under-recognized health problem that can lead to changes in the brain and even death. Jamie, a Clinton, Ill., native, began experiencing disordered eating at age 14 following sexual abuse and a desire to be thin. "Some days, I wouldn't eat," she recalled. "I don't know how I did it." Other times, she would eat but then vomit up the food. Because she had trouble moving her bowels — and to help her to pass food quickly — she began taking stool softeners and laxatives at levels beyond recommended doses. "And I exercised a lot," she said. "I was in track, so I ran, ran, ran." As an adult, her disordered eating continued. Without proper nutrition, she was frequently lethargic, which hurt her work, resulting in a spotty employment history. She and Jayson, also 34, have been together for 14 years and have been married for 12 years. They have two daughters together — Jaydin, 10, and Dru, 5 — and Jayson has an older daughter — Rayven, 14 — from his first marriage. "Sometimes, he knew" that I threw up, Jamie said of Jayson. "But I was very sneaky." "I knew that she had an eating disorder," Jayson said. But he didn't know that it was anorexia and bulimia and "I didn't know it was all-encompassing." Despite their love for each other, Jayson became frustrated when he would come home from work as a network control analyst with Country Financial, Bloomington, only to find out that Jamie had taken a lengthy nap, leaving him to do much of the housework and take care of the girls. "I was tired all the time," Jamie recalled. "I was deeply depressed. I don't know why I'm so depressed. I had thoughts of hurting myself." Other times, she would have mood swings and would be angry at Jayson but wouldn't know why. "It was really frustrating," Jayson said. "I didn't understand that it was related to the eating disorder. I didn't know I should be screaming for help instead of screaming at her." Early in 2011, Jamie was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder with severe bipolar tendencies, apparently related to the sexual abuse, and general anxiety and depression.