Chills ran down my spine. In great disbelief, I refuted her statement. “No! Not Karen Carpenter!” I responded as if Karen Carpenter had been my friend. But actually, for the first time, I was facing the full reality that people really do die from anorexia. I had always admired Karen Carpenter; I could relate to her as a person, and I could relate to her illness and, now, her death. I felt the shock of her passing as though it had happened to me. Her musical recordings and distinct singing style began churning in my memory, bringing me back to events in high school and college. Then, it
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