Brave teen inspires followers around the world - PHOTO

Just over a year ago, Antonia Eriksson's heart and organs were giving up, her bones were weak and her reflexes stopped working. But rather than surrendering to anorexia, the 18-year-old checked in to a hospital in September 2012 in a bid to reclaim her life.Eager to help other people suffering from a crippling eating disorder, the Swedish teenager used Instagram to document her difficult road to recovery and show that it 'was possible' to get better.'When I first started @eatmoveimprove, it was actually called @fightinganorexia and it was an anonymous account,' Eriksson told The Daily Dot.'It took me a while before I decided to share my identity. So I had this account alongside my personal [Instagram account] to track my recovery, and then it grew and changed into what it is today.'Today, the photo-sharing account is brimming with body-positive messages, photos of Eriksson working out and healthy meals she's prepared for herself.However, her 15-month journey to recovery was often dark and painful. When she was admitted to hospital, Eriksson weighed just 84 pounds and feared she wouldn't survive another night. The Instagram photos were grim, with pictures of her hospital bed, thin frame and gaunt features.But after two months in hospital, she overcame her demons, developed a healthy eating plan and got her life back on track. She said she reached a healthy weight in February 2013.Now, Eriksson's photo feed shows her posing in the gym, flashing the muscles she's worked hard for, and the nutritious food she prepares.The teenager said the Instagram account has helped in her battle against anorexia. 'Instagram helped me a lot. I found other people who felt the same way or were struggling with battles like my own,' she told The Daily Dot.'We supported each other a lot and when I was feeling low I could always turn to my ‘Instagram family’ for support and advice.'I felt I had a responsibility since I had a lot of followers who looked up to me and saw me as an inspiration … it became very important to me to recover in a good way and to stay healthy. To show people that it was possible and worth it.'Eriksson said the shift from the anonymous @fightinganorexia to the identifiable @eatmoveimprove account was important for her recovery. 'Today I don’t see my account as an inspiration for recovery, but for being recovered, [for being] healthy, if you see the difference,' she said.'Anorexia is part of my history and a disease I once had, but it does not define me as a person.'Today I share my life, what I love to do, and who I am. Anorexia is not a part of that, but it was, and I still want to be a support and inspiration for people who are struggling.'Eriksson also runs a fitness blog, EATMOVEIMPROVE, where she answers questions about herself, her health and eating disorders in general. But she said she is very careful about what she shares online. 'People ask how much I weigh or how many calories I eat, and I won’t talk about that. I don’t want to share numbers because I know that triggered me, and I don’t want that to be what my account is about,' she said.'I do post progress pictures, and that took me awhile. But followers were asking how my workouts were going so I decided to share more progress pictures—but I’m quite careful there too: I don’t talk about my body like I do about my progress. It’s not how I look, it’s how much energy I have or what I can lift in the gym.'I’ll tell people off when they ask me how to lose weight. Me losing weight was me almost losing my life. You shouldn’t ask me how to do that. That’s like asking me how to commit suicide.'I try to teach people who don’t understand. I’ll tell them what they doing and asking me is wrong; an eating disorder is not something to strive for.'(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az