Directors
Dawn Montaner
My name is Dawn Montaner and I am a "Mom". I am the Founder and Executive Director of
Lifelines Foundation for Eating Disorders.
We believe that parents are the most powerful tool change. I am not a
physician, a psychologist, a dietitian, or any other medical professional. I am
a "Mom" that has lived
through this horrible disease of eating disorders. When we started Lifelines
Foundation for Eating Disorders it was to help other families find the
resources that we struggled to find when our daughter became ill with this
disease, we wanted to offer family support for other families, and we wanted to
offer educational information. We
established Lifelines in 1999 and now we are fulfilling the original goals we
set forth at the beginning, while continuing to develop new goals as the need develops.
Victor Montaner
My
name is Victor Montaner and I am the father of a beautiful daughter that was
diagnosed with an eating disorder. I knew nothing about eating disorders and
like my wife was blindsided by this disease. For a father this disease is
especially hard to comprehend. It is hard to understand how something as basic
as nourishment can be the source of such pain, even death. It is also hard to
understand the concept of "body image" and how media can influence
thoughts so strongly that a young person can risk serious physical illness to
conform to marketing standards. My line of work is analytical, methodical, and
detailed, in other words, "black and white", this disease is so
controlled by emotions and perceptions that it is difficult to deal with. When we discovered the depth of our
daughter's illness we sought the best medical treatment available in our
community. As a professional I was shocked to discover that the avenues of
treatment were limited, and then to try to secure acute care treatment was even
more frustrating. Dawn and I decided that we had a responsibility to try to
change things in our community and in our state so when our daughter returned
from treatment out of state there would be options for aftercare and support.
We travel to present our education, awareness and prevention campaign to
schools and professional groups all over the state. We are working to revise
the existing laws and to insure that medical care is available for those that
are in need. Our long term goal is to establish an acute care long term
inpatient residential treatment facility in
Debbie Rasa
My name is Debbie Rasa and I am a mother of three
daughters, ages 10, 12, and 13 years old. I am also the President of Lifelines
Foundation. I am very passionate about giving my time where public awareness,
education, and prevention of eating disorders is being discussed and presented.
Lifelines Foundation is actively involved in wanting to see the revision of the
Mental Health Parity Act along with changes to the eating disorders awareness
educational programs in the public schools. I am considered a community
activist and will do all I can to raise the level of awareness, educate our
families, and change the laws concerning Mental Illness and eating disorders on
the local, state and national levels. I am a professional businesswoman in the
community, and a mother. I choose to
make a difference in the lives of human beings that suffer with eating
disorders. This illness is very real, extremely important, and grossly ignored
in
David
Coody
Dr. Robert Wilcox
Dr. Robert Wilcox joined Lifelines Foundation for
Eating Disorders Board of Directors by invitation from the Montaners. The
Montaners feel that they owe the life of their youngest daughter and her well
being to this remarkable physician. When their daughter was first diagnosed with
her eating disorder he was the physician that came to her beside in the
hospital and assured us that he would do everything in his power to help us
find the resources that were needed to save her life. Dr. Robert has agreed to
serve on the Lifelines Foundation Board to share his medical expertise not on
eating disorders but on basic physical conditions that can result from this
deadly disease. What makes Dr. Robert such a fine physician is his deep
spiritual faith, his compassion for the suffering and the determination to
learn all he can about eating disorders to assist us in this battle. The Montaners
owe Dr. Robert a deep gratitude for the professionalism he showed to their
family and know that is a trait that he gives to all his patients. Dr. Robert
is in private practice with his wife Dr. Patricia Wilcox and they have three
beautiful children. Dr. Robert and Dr. Pat are members of the Columbus Avenue
Baptist Church.
