Woman asked her friend to be a bridesmaid

That moment changed everything. 24-year-old Hailey told Newsweek how she then assumed the biggest challenge of her life: getting well. She explained that she had been struggling with bulimia since she was 18 years old.

« At that time, Brighton had just been engaged and I invited her to Dallas to celebrate it a little, » Hailey said.

« I was hoping to get my own 'bridesmaid proposal' too, but it was at the same time in the middle of the most difficult period of my eating disorder. »

During the visit, Hailey's fight with the disease became clear why she couldn't hide it from her friend.

« I thought if I went to the bathroom, nobody would hear me. I tried to throw my dinner up, but who stood right outside the door? My best friend Brighton and my boyfriend Elena. They heard everything, » she said.

She remembered their shocked reactions. After trying to explain himself and promised that it would never happen again, Brighton interrupted her.

« It was there she said, 'I'm so sorry, Hailey, but I can't make you a bridesmaid unless you stop doing this to yourself,' she said.

That moment ended up being a turning point for Hailey who decided to change his life.

« I knew she meant it seriously. I didn't say anything, because I already knew in my heart that I had finished disappointing everyone around me, » she said.

A long way to heal

Hailey's journey has not been easy. She describes herself as being in 'active improvement' and admits that she is still struggling with the same difficult thoughts every day. But she has overcome the worst challenges.

« The first months were incredibly challenging. Every meal made me physically bad, I had intense night sweats and I began to see how the disease had affected my body, » she said.

One of the biggest challenges was – of course – the subsequent weight gain.

« To gain weight while still caught in a disturbed mindset, felt like living in constant fight-or-flight mode, » Hailey said.