At 13, Saylor Davis was diagnosed with severe depression and anorexia, a diagnosis that followed years of bullying at school that she says drove her eating disorder forward. At her lowest point, she weighed around 25 pounds less than before, and on some days a single large can of tea was all she had to eat. This past May, after years of therapy, she graduated as valedictorian of South Fort Myers High.
Saylor told Gulf Coast News and Weather that she was bullied at school, and that the bullying was what drove her eating disorder forward. She said there were days when that single can of tea “was all I had.” At one point, she said, she was suicidal.
Her mother, Angela Davis, said she blamed herself for not recognizing her daughter’s struggle sooner. Still, she said Saylor amazes her every day and that her daughter will be amazing at whatever she does, according to the same report.
Years of Therapy Led to a Turnaround
Saylor is Angela Davis’s daughter, and according to the report, years of therapy helped her survive and ultimately thrive. She said the process left her more emotionally regulated and mature. She even graduated in May as valedictorian of South Fort Myers High, capping a recovery that began with a diagnosis most of her classmates never knew about.
Saylor has since become an advocate for Lee Health’s Kids’ Minds Matter initiative, the report notes. The program was founded in 2016 as a unified Southwest Florida movement dedicated to advancing childhood mental and behavioral health services, according to Lee Health.
A Local System Under Strain
Saylor’s story lands against a backdrop of rising demand for youth mental health care in the region. Lee Health reported a 28% increase in Baker Acts at Golisano Children’s Hospital in the second half of 2020 compared with 2019, and the health system has also reported a 358% increase in Baker Acts in a more recent quarter compared with the same period the prior year, though the supplied Lee Health material does not specify which quarter.
In response, Lee Health and the Lee County School District launched a Mental Health Navigator Program in March 2020 to connect high-risk children and vulnerable families with mental health services. Two Lee County schools were selected as pilot sites, with an eventual goal of expanding the resource countywide, Lee Health has said. By that November, the program had connected eight children and two parents with therapy services.
National data suggests Saylor’s experience is not isolated, though the figures come with caveats. A 2013 study cited by the CDC found disordered-eating prevalence among high school students ranging from 20% to 29% among girls and 8% to 13% among boys, depending on race and ethnicity — historical context rather than a current snapshot. Separately, the CDC has noted that high pre-COVID rates of poor youth mental health and suicide-related behaviors have continued to rise, prompting its analysis of the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
For Angela Davis, the broader statistics are secondary to what she watched her own daughter go through and come out the other side of. She has said Saylor amazes her every day, and that whatever path her daughter chooses next, she will be amazing at it.
