From The Orange County Register
By Brian Whitehead / Staff Writer
Fullerton teenager Claire Finegan will vie for the Miss Junior Teen title at this weekend’s regional pageant in Anaheim. Finegan, 14, once was anorexic, but has since joined a recovery program. (Photo from OC Register)
Claire Finegan wanted to be thinner and healthier as a preteen.
So she went on a diet and started exercising.
Before long, Finegan was restricting calories. Her daily intake at one point fell below 200. She became a vegetarian, then cut carbohydrates, fat and sodium out of her diet.
“I weighed myself every day,” she said.
Finegan’s weight plummeted to 102 pounds, at which point her parents put her on a meal plan. Still, she found ways around it.
Physically weak and mentally exhausted, Finegan was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Orange County in September and diagnosed with an eating disorder.
For 23 days, she stayed on bed rest.
“My heart rate had gotten down to 27 because I did all that to myself,” she said.
Now 14 and healthy, Finegan is recovering.
The Fullerton Union High freshman also is a finalist in this weekend’s Miss Junior Teen pageant.
“I’m really proud of her for taking something so difficult, something so personal she went through, and putting it out there to help other people,” said Kristina Finegan, Claire’s mother. “Wanting to get up on stage isn’t easy for a teenage girl, especially one that went through what she did.
“She’s a tough kid.”
Claire Finegan is an anime buff with a love for singing, dancing and acting. She’s a cosplayer, too, having dressed up as popular anime characters Alois from “Black Butler,” Miku and Luka.
Her goal is to portray every character in “Love Live!” – a Japanese television series about a group of fictitious schoolgirls.
“I’m a geek,” she said, joking.
In the past, Finegan sought ways to shed what little fat she had on her body. She regularly lacked energy as a result.
“I felt I was going to pass out multiple times during the day,” she said. “Mentally, I didn’t feel good, and I always felt inadequate, ugly, gross.”
After being released from CHOC, Finegan underwent hours of therapy and rehabilitation. She’s now on a recovery program that can be done at home.
She’s eating three meals and two snacks a day. She’s also managing her emotions and “not worrying about my weight anymore.”
“She’s totally on the right path,” said Jila Navah, Finegan’s former French teacher at Portal Languages, a Fullerton charter school, who also overcame an eating disorder as a teenager.
“She’s eager to learn new things, different cultures. She wants to travel and dance. There’s no way she can go back to (having an eating disorder).
“How she talks about it so openly, so maturely,” Navah said, “I know, 100 percent, all the things she’s doing right now, she’s very healthy and just wants to be an example to others.”
To qualify for this weekend’s pageant, Finegan interviewed recently with its judges.
She let her personality shine through, explaining how she wanted to “spread the message of recovery in a positive light” and show “that there is life after anorexia and that you can someday feel beautiful again,” she said.
“I want to promote a healthy lifestyle, and not pushing yourself to something that’s unachievable.”
Contact the writer: 714-796-7724 or bwhitehead@ocregister.com
