A Letter from a "Fat" Kid

Dear Mean Kids,
        I know you probably don’t remember me, and the words you said mean nothing to you now. However, I remember you and I remember everything you ever said to put me down. The numerous times you mocked me and called me fat? I remember that. When you thought it was so hilarious to throw balls at my stomach and watch them bounce? I remember that too. Your words have sat burning inside of me and now it’s my turn to give you a piece of my mind.
 
When I was 10 I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. My immune system attacked my thyroid and it stopped working. If you are not familiar with human anatomy, your thyroid controls literally everything about you, especially your weight. I rapidly gained weight at a young age, while we tried to find the right dosage of medication to get this under control. I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t eating buffet style every night. Yet you never questioned why I was the way I was. Instead you assumed since I was “fat” I must clearly by lazy and overeat.
 
  I’m telling you this not because I think you care, or that I owe you an explanation for why I am the way that I am. I am telling you this because I feel I deserve a moment to defend myself. As a child I would never imagine standing up for myself against you, because at that point in time for all I knew you were right. I was nothing but a worthless fat pig. You ripped me apart and tore me down. I became so wrapped up in the identity you had given me that every effort I made to change myself failed. I was what I was and I just needed to accept that.
 

It took a long time and a lot of hard work to realize that I did in fact have the ability to change my body and that I could be strong. I want you to know now that I will not let your words define me. I have realized that I can be whatever I want, and that I do have the power to make myself better. Although the majority of my motivation for getting fit, and engaging on my lifestyle journey is myself, there is a tiny bit that is motivated by your words and actions. There are moments where I want to quit, or give up because I’m exhausted but then I imagine your face when you see a picture of me on your newsfeed or run into me in passing at the store. I want you to see my face and swallow all of those harsh words. I have seen some of you since childhood, and even though there is a small part of me that wants to feel satisfied when I see that life has not been the best on your physique, please know I will never judge you nor humiliate you because of this. At the end of the day, I don’t know your story, but no you know part of mine.
 
Yours truly,
That little "fat" girl.