To commemorate Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week, a speaker is being featured in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

Kara Richardson-Whitely, a plus-size author and public speaker who has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro three times, will present “Gorge: My 300-Pound Journey Up Kilimanjaro ” at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday.

The event is free and open to Iowa State students, faculty, staff and Ames community members.

Richardson-Whitely will share her life story with her eating disorder like using food as a way to escape daily stressors, hiding food behaviors and becoming ashamed of the person they turned her into.

“Kara’s message of body acceptance, body love and health at every size are a vital message for everyone,” according to the Lectures Program website. “Her life story with her eating disorder is one many people connect to—emotional eating; using food as a way to escape daily stressors; hiding food behaviors and ashamed of the person whom they have become. Hearing her process up the mountain and finding herself is awe inspiring.”

Richardson-Whitely has written two books, “Gorge” and “Weight of Being.”

“Gorge” is the book being featured at this lecture. The book was published in 2015.

“Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds is the raw story of Kara’s ascent from the depths of self-doubt to the top of the world,” according to Amazon’s website. “Her inspiring trek speaks to every woman who has struggled with her self-image or felt that food was controlling her life. Honest and unforgettable, Kara’s journey is one of intense passion, endurance, and self-acceptance.”

“Weight of Being,” her second book is her story after the mountain. The book was published in 2018.

“In many ways, Kara is living the life of every woman, except that she’s not every woman because she weighs 300 pounds and is tormented by binge eating disorder,” according to the Hachette Book Group website. “Her weight is a constant source of conflict and shame, as the people from every corner of her life, from her coworkers to the neighbors down the street, judge Kara for the size of her body. When it becomes just too much to tolerate, Kara turns to therapy and weight-loss surgery, a choice that transforms her body-and her life.”

This event is sponsored by Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Student Organization and Committee on Lectures, funded by Student Government.