INVOLVEMENT: WHAT WE CAN'T DO WITHOUT

Tabea Kranefoed, 17, from Gelsenkirchen

The health awareTabea, what is your greatest concern?

Health! One always takes it for granted until something happens. A lot has happened to me in the past year.

Like what?

First, my father had to go to the hospital. He was lying in intensive care with some kind of snorkle in his mouth. And then my parents found out that I was anorexic.

How did that happen?

I felt too fat and simply started eating less and less. At the end I only had a little bit of cereal for breakfast, that was all. I lost more than 33 pounds. When I wanted to start eating normally, I couldn't, although I had seen what this leads to: A friend of mine couldn't even walk anymore she was so weak. Ultimately, she had to be fed through a needle.

How do you feel now?

I went to a doctor and now I am trying to force myself to eat again. But I am still scared to put on weight. I would like to be able to control my diet in such a way that I feel healthy but can balance my weight. I am also thinking about going to therapy.

Why do you think a lot of girls suffer from problems?

Nowadays, everyone wants to be perfect. Whether or not this is good for your body is not the priority. My dream is that nobody would judge people by their looks. Then there would be a lot less ill people.

Stefanie Hentschel