This young woman is sharing her anorexia journey on Instagram

Sarah Francati isn’t your average teenager. The 19-year-old college student from New York is sharing her recovery from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa on social media. And as a result, thousands of people are cheering her on while many others are seeking guidance.

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“I made the account a year ago to keep myself focused,” she tells Yahoo Beauty. “I was so surprised when people started to reach out to me because I never thought that anyone would even care. If I really think about [it], I’m 19. I’m not a doctor, I’m not a counselor; I’m just one girl. And the fact that there are women, there are men, there are teens coming to me, asking for help — that is huge to me. I can’t ask for anything else.”

At the request of her mother, Francati was admitted to the hospital during her freshman year of high school when her weight plummeted to 36 kilograms. After counselors asked that she leave a recovery center because of her inability to follow the program — “It was awful! I would tell them I was allergic to food, I was vegan, I would cut as many corners as I could not to eat anything”—Francati moved home, where she found relief by using The Maudsley Approach, which is an intensive outpatient treatment in which parents play an active, positive role in their child’s recovery.

“It was the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” she says. “I know that obviously it doesn’t work for everyone because some people need a hospital or a bigger wakeup call. But once my parents and siblings were involved, I felt that I wasn’t alone anymore. I had a support system and I wasn’t fighting this by myself. I had a team.”

Four years later, more than 25,000 people are following Francati’s journey on Instagram, where she showcases her muscle tone, her stylish workout clothes, and her favourite foods. And while many people offer praise, others only offer criticism.

“Yes, there are comments from people who seem to love to go out of their way to bring me down,” she says. “I definitely debated it [sharing her journey on Instagram] for a long time because I’m a college student, and you always have to wonder, ‘Who’s going to find my account? Who’s going to pick on me about it?’ But at the end of the day, if I can just impact one person, I will take all the hate.”

Francati isn’t the only young adult who is willing to use social media as a platform to share their personal struggle with anorexia. Elle Tayla, Carolyn Radnor, Alexis Corneau, and Ambs G have created YouTube videos of their emotional journeys, which collectively have been viewed by millions of people.

“The first thing I want to say is let’s applaud anybody who is sharing their story of recovery because that takes such great bravery,” Robyn Cruze, a National Recovery Advocate and online community manger for Eating Recovery Center, tells Yahoo Beauty.

“Eating disorders are mental illnesses, and that means we have a lot of things that we must overcome mentally, so to be able to share our story is such a courageous thing,” she continues. “And when we use our story in the right way— to bring hope and inspiration to those recovering from eating disorders — it is a really powerful tool for recovery and for those seeking it.”

However, exposing your vulnerability on social media could have a negative effect on the individual who is posting, as well as those who are desperately searching for answers.

“When we’re sharing our story and still struggling in our own recovery, I think we have to question how we’re keeping ourselves safe,” says Cruze. “For example, when I share my story, I share it because I know I’m not attached to that story — it’s so far away from me, there’s a difference between me and the person that I was. So I’m using my story to make a difference by sharing solutions of recovery, like what I did mentally, what did I in my treatment, and that I sought therapy.”

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