“I spent six months at EDCare Denver and am forever grateful for the care I received there. From the moment I first spoke with admissions (thanks, Keeley!) to the day-to-day groups and sessions, I was treated with kindness. As part of the Athlete Edge track, I experienced athlete-specific groups four times a week. These were some of my favorite groups! Within these groups and in my private sessions with my treatment team, I felt cared for as a person–not just a “patient.” While treatment team communication is something I know EDCare is striving to continually improve, there was a constant and heartfelt message from all my providers that I matter.

I came to EDCare wanting the info and the strict rules. I LOVE rules, and self-empowerment seemed like a pretty stupid idea to me. Turns out, the unique approach at EDCare allowed me to get outside of the paradigm of endless rules in favor of living and trusting myself.

Thanks to those who have stood alongside me at EDCare (Brittany, Clair, Emily, Allie, Dr. Laurent, Brandon, Dr. Pryor, Dr. Becker, Kristen, Linda, Jessica, Kyle, Haley, and so many others), I have the tools I need to keep pursuing recovery, and so does my support system.

If you are highly motivated and desire to truly break free from your eating disorder, I cannot recommend EDCare highly enough. My time there saved my life.” – Hannah H.

“I am very thankful for this place. I went in not even knowing I had an ED. I got a team of people when I arrived. Psychiatrist, Primary Therapist, Family Therapist, Dietitian. I was scared at first. I was honestly angry I was there. I had very many emotions in my first week. A lot more to come as well. I was in my sick body and sick mental space upon my admission. I don’t know how to put this into words… I am so blessed to have spent 5 months here. I stayed at their Connections House. I was there for 99 days and I miss it now. 24-hour counseling if needed at my fingertips. I had a TEAM of wonderful people who actually cared. They truly care about every one of their clients. They took the time to help find solutions. They offer DBT, ACT, CBT classes! I was taught how to be my authentic self. I was taught to face all my past trauma and to deal with it so I could let go and move on. I was shown how to communicate without being aggressive. I wish I could put a before and after video clip of me on here. I went from a heartbroken, sad, angry, hurt, lonely malnourished lady to a cheerful, bright, happy, nourished, mentally well, motivated, beautiful woman. Inside and out. I would recommend this place to anyone struggling with an ED. They help with all different types of EDs. They helped me get back to my children as a responsible adult. They not only saved my life but helped out 3 wonderful children get their mother back. All the staff here is beyond FANTASTIC!!!!!!! I got so attached I didn’t want to discharge. I wanted to stay there forever. My peers were all so very kind and caring. I really don’t have anything bad to say about this place. From the very bottom of my heart, I love you ED Care and THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY LIFE!!!!!!!!” – Breahannah L.

“I am incredibly grateful for the time I spent in the Athlete Program at EDCare Denver. When I entered the program, I was trying to compete while unprepared and unmotivated. EDCare not only gave me the tools to relearn how to properly fuel myself for athletics (and life in general), but they also helped me find joy again in the sport I’d dedicated my life to. I haven’t felt as fulfilled, strong, and energized as I do now in all my years as an athlete, and I owe that to my time in the Athlete Program.” – Alice M.

“I am so endlessly grateful for the care I received at EDCare. Unlike many other treatment centers, EDCare treats every eating disorder equally and gets to the root of the illness rather than focusing solely on behaviors. Being an empowerment based program, it is ideal and necessary for those who have been in treatment multiple times with little success. The amazing care given at EDCare was apparent to me at the very beginning of a 3+ month insurance battle, of trying to get me the treatment I desperately needed. Sarah was super helpful in guiding me through the admission process and it spoke volumes that the clinical team was willing to fight and advocate so hard for someone who wasn’t even their patient. They battled with insurance for over 3 months before I was finally able to get the care I needed. All of the staff were incredibly compassionate & caring, and my primary 100% saved my life. EDCare offers groups on a wide range of social justice issues including weight stigma, which was such a game changer for me. EDCare won’t do the work for you. The staff are there to guide you and help you in your recovery, but ultimately they can’t make the changes for you. If you’re not ready to put in the work for your recovery, this is not the treatment center for you. Their modality aims to guide you through the painful parts of treatment, while also ensuring that the patient is taking accountability for their recovery. Being in a larger body & struggling with all of the behaviors at different times, many traditional eating disorder treatment centers have been unable to treat me, or have done so unethically, by focusing on suppressing my weight rather than interrupting behaviors. At other facilities, I was being essentially prescribed an eating disorder which was incredibly damaging. EDCare practices through a lens of health at every size and body diversity, making treatment a welcoming place for people of ALL bodies, not just the “stereotypical eating disorder” bodies. They have specialized tracks including trauma and substance abuse which were incredibly helpful for me & many of the people I went through treatment. They also are 100% gender affirming which is absolutely crucial for a place to be safe for everybody. They have supportive housing which is a great start to interrupt behaviors before implementing those skills at home. As someone who had been in and out of treatment for 5+ years with no more than a month here and there at home at a time, I can attest that EDCare is life saving. I have been out of treatment since leaving EDCare in 2018, and should myself or anyone I know ever need treatment for their eating disorder, I will recommend EDCare in a heartbeat. Special shoutout to Dr. Goffredi, Dr. Batson, Jess (milieu), Rachel F, Dr. Rollin, Shane, and of course Dr. Pryor. They all changed my life for the better!!” – Brianna

“Recovery was NEVER a word in my vocabulary, because I never thought it was possible. I never thought I’d be able to live my life behavior free, or ever feel like I belonged or deserved anything. That all changed these past two years.” – Maddy

“Hello Everyone!!! It has been 4 years this month since my admission to EDCare as an inpatient :). I was dying physically and mentally. I could not function or perform standard activities of daily living until receiving treatment.” – Steph
“I am extremely grateful for my experience at EDCare and would not hesitate to recommend this solid, life-altering program to anyone struggling with an eating disorder.” – Janice K.
“The fact that the program is very empowering made me feel like I had the biggest decisions in my own recovery.” – Kim
“This is a tremendous program that has changed my life for the better. I’ve gained more than I thought possible.” – Jill
“This place has been a blessing to my life. I could not have imagined a better place to find recovery.” – Cara
“I don’t want to be remembered by the size of my body, but for the size of my heart and my love for life. EDCare made this possible!” – Tina
“I have wanted to write this for a while, but my schedule has been wonderfully busy and I haven’t been able to find the right time. Last nights ‘slip’ became my motivation to finally write this, in order to not only recognize how thankful I am to be in recovery, but how thankful I entrusted my life with the EDCare staff and am on the road to recovery.

It was not a bad slip, by any means, but I am now taking time to reflect on why I slipped and what I can do to recognize it and correct it. So much is different than before! I have been doing considerably well with everything since I left treatment. I have been eating new and different foods, keeping them down, taking my medications as directed, talking about problems when they arise, quit drinking, and feeling more secure in who I am as a person. I am not 100% perfect with behaviors, but I have been doing my best to stay on track and I can count on one hand the times I’ve had behaviors since treatment!!!

I am, as always, thankful for everything the staff at EDCare has done for me. I can wake up in the morning excited for the day, instead of being full of dread, fear, doubt, and shame. I can eat out, talk to new people, get things done, not live in fear of mealtimes, but now actually look forward to preparing them. I think the last 4 months have been the most productive months for me in the past 6 years. I cannot thank you enough for helping me through all of my baggage – I look back at how I behaved in treatment sometimes and cringe at how emotional I was – but I know that those feelings needed to come out in order for me to know they were there. I just wanted to let you know how thankful I am to be alive, healthy, and yes – very, very happy. You all helped save my life and put me on track. I am blessed to be healthy and I now love my curves!” – Kelsey

“Here is the quick and direct version! If you are reading this don’t waste another day in embarrassment, guilt, shame and pain. Make the first step in getting better and call EDCare.” -Paul

“Deciding to admit myself into EDCare was the most difficult decision of my life. However, after having time to gain perspective, I have come to realize that while it was difficult, it was the best decision of my life.”- Mindy
“You all pushed me but treated me with kindness, concern and RESPECT! I will never forget these last 4 months. Good Health and happiness to you all!” – Former PHP Patient
“I can’t imagine surviving this past year without help! My husband and I discovered via a letter from our daughter’s sorority that our 20 year old was bulimic and had been for 6 years. In shock, my husband rushed out the door that night and drove 8 hours through the night in snow to retrieve her at college out of state. As he followed her back home, she lost control of her car going 75 mph down the highway. She was throwing up as she drove, luckily she came away unscathed from the accident. My husband watched in horror.

After searching for 2 weeks and visiting other facilities that she found totally unacceptable, we found EDCare and our daughter immediately admitted herself into the Partial Hospitalization Program. It was the longest 2 weeks I will ever endure. I don’t know who we would have turned to at that time had we not had this facility available to us. We were desperate for someone to understand, we were emotionally drained, and very uneducated in the field of eating disorders. We blamed ourselves. The 3 of us gained knowledge from weekly family counseling, but the best part was the 3 hour, Saturday, multi-family therapy sessions given by a different therapist each week. It was comforting to find common ground with families experiencing the same frustrations and emotions that we were having, listening to each other’s stories, becoming educated, and mainly supporting each other.

My daughter was ready for help and attended a grueling schedule without complaint. It was tough, but she loved the non-hospital like environment, the fact she could come home at night, the therapists and nutritionist, and the interaction of women suffering from her same disease. She was there 2 months before she went back to college for intersession. Of course, she is not cured, but she is better than 1 year ago and has been given the tools to cope with and hopefully be rid of this insidious disease. I was so impressed that the clinic researched her college town for a therapist and nutritionist for continued counseling. It scares me to think where she might be today without the help of EDCare. They may have saved her life!” – Denise, a mother

“When I walked into EDCare, I was thinking to myself that this was my last chance. I was morbidly obese, had severe health issues, and felt like nothing would ever help me. I had suffered from several different types of eating disorders in the past; however, doctors and others in my life attributed it to the fact that I had no self-control. This was one of the first things that I learned during my stay…it is NOT about the FOOD!

I was struggling with demons from the past that I had never dealt with before and that was what truly eating me up inside. With the help of those at EDCare, including my therapists, the nutritionists, and milieu, I learned that it is not about the numbers, but instead, how I FEEL inside that matters.

It was extremely hard for me to get rid of the notion that what was read on the scale didn’t matter, however, in my case, it did. I was amazingly sick and on a lot of medications just so that my body did not give up on me.

I was able to trend down in weight, but more importantly, I learned how to eat healthy, handle emotions and confrontations in a more productive manner, and learned that food was merely a tool to help keep me going. Once I learned these things, it was like I was set free.
I was at EDCare for approximately three months and in those three months, I experienced greater healing than I had in the past 25 years of outpatient, inpatient, group and individual therapies.

Now, I have been released from EDCare for about three months and I and my therapist would agree that I keep growing. I am feeling confident about myself and my achievements for the first time in my life. I feel beautiful and alive! That is saying a lot! The staff at EDCare helped me to resuscitate my own life!

Most importantly, since leaving EDCare I am now off approximately 15 medications. My diabetes has been reversed! I no longer have high blood pressure, osteopenia, high cholesterol, but most of all I feel healthier.

I also gained something huge! I was disabled due to my health conditions for several years before walking through the doors of EDCare. Now, I am healthy enough both mentally and physically to work full time! I was not sure if that would ever happen.

I want to thank everyone at EDCare for encouraging me when I didn’t believe in myself. Sometimes, you scooped me off of the floor and stood me up again and I will never forget that. To this day, I still think of the staff cheering me on when I am facing difficult moments.

Everyone at EDCare, helped me get my life back, one I never thought I had, and for that there are not enough words to thank you. You cannot put a price on happiness and loving yourself!”

“The Athlete Program at EDCare made such an impact on my recovery. It taught me the art of being mindful. I learned to slow down for once, take in my surroundings, and pay attention to my body’s signals. I was able to be vulnerable about my fears, process my emotions, and grieve the identity that no longer defined me. This would never have been possible without EDCare’s athletic program, and for that I will always be thankful.” – Former Patient

“So my time is done here at EDCare
but I still have far to go on the road to recovery.
I am nowhere near perfection, and wouldn’t claim to be,
but I have grown in every direction, as far as I can see.
I have dreams for the future that were not there before,
aspirations I can reach for – even those among the stars.

I am fighting for my kids, for an abundant life together,
where games, trampolines, and snuggles are always there and regular.
I am fighting for my husband, for the love we openly share,
and deepening our relationship, growing in our care.
I am stepping nearer my Heavenly Father, embracing the love He gives,
accepting He made me, just as I am, and created me just to be me.

My friends here have taught me so much more than they can know,
affirmations and feedback – both have helped me to grow.
Hearing I’m loving and caring and sweet,
sensitive, compassionate and outright great,
has boosted my confidence, despite my reluctance,
to believe and accept I’m becoming more like me.

I wish every one of you could see how beautiful you are,
how your hearts shine through your armour, shining bright as stars.
I wish I could help you realize all your hopes and dreams,
help you fight that demon within you who has your binded up in reigns.
But it’s the fight that makes you stronger, and I can’t deny you that
because my dream for you is freedom in this life and in your heart.

My hope for you is laughter, joy that wells from deep within.
My hope for you is peace, serenity coating all the din.
I hope your dreams come true and you learn to love the real you,
I hope you learn acceptance, grown in confidence, don’t feel blue.
I’m trying every day to enrich and love my tree,
and each day I’m growing closer to loving the real me.”

– Anonymous