Charlotte Hogan’s recovery leads to the Boston Marathon
A former swimmer shares how recovery reshaped her relationship with food, fitness and herself
CHANNEL 5. EATING DISORDERS ARE AMONG THE MOST SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. I WAS SO DEPRESSED JUST SO, SO DEPRESSED. AND WHO DO THEY AFFECT? EVERYONE. HISTORICALLY, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT EATING DISORDERS, WE THINK ONLY ABOUT ANOREXIA NERVOSA. BUT ACTUALLY ANOREXIA NERVOSA IS LESS COMMON THAN BULIMIA. NERVOSA IS LESS COMMON THAN BINGE EATING DISORDER, RIGHT? WHICH IS THE MOST COMMON EATING DISORDER IN THE UNITED STATES? NEARLY 30 MILLION PEOPLE, OR 9% OF THE POPULATION, WILL EXPERIENCE AN EATING DISORDER IN THEIR LIFETIME AFTER OPIATE ADDICTION. EATING DISORDERS HAVE THE HIGHEST MORTALITY RATE AMONG ALL MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESSES. AT THE KLARMAN CENTER FOR EATING DISORDERS, PART OF MCLEAN HOSPITAL IN BELMONT, A TEAM APPROACH IS CENTRAL. THE GOAL IS NOT TO LIVE HERE FOREVER. THE GOAL IS TO TRANSITION BACK TO YOUR LIFE IN A DEEPLY MEANINGFUL WAY, WHERE RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE. PATIENTS FOLLOW STRUCTURED DAYS DESIGNED TO DISRUPT DANGEROUS PATTERNS AND REBUILD STABILITY FROM THE INSIDE OUT. THE BIGGEST THING FOR ME WAS THE SUPPORT WHILE I WAS THERE, THROUGH THE MEALS AND THROUGH PORTIONING. FOR CHARLOTTE HOGAN, THAT HEALING JOURNEY HAS COME FULL CIRCLE. WHEN I WAS AT KLARMAN, IF YOU TOLD ME I WAS GOING TO BE RUNNING A MARATHON A FEW YEARS LATER, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU, YOU’RE CRAZY. TODAY, SHE’S TRAINING WITH THE BOSTON MARATHON TEAM FROM MCLEAN HOSPITAL, BUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH MOVEMENT HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN ROOTED IN STRENGTH. MILE SEVEN HOGAN GREW UP SWIMMING COMPETITIVELY, SPENDING HOURS AT THE POOL. I GREW UP A SWIMMER, SO I WAS JUST EATING BAGELS LEFT AND RIGHT. I WAS EATING ALL THE TIME. SHE LOOKED AT FOOD AS FUEL, BUT OUTSIDE OF THE POOL, HOGAN FOUND HERSELF COMPARING HER BODY TO OTHERS WEARING A BATHING SUIT ALL THE TIME IS REALLY HARD BECAUSE I WAS JUST DEVELOPING BEFORE ALL OF MY FRIENDS WERE. AFTER A BACK INJURY, THE STRUCTURE OF DAILY SWIM PRACTICES DISAPPEARED. SHE TURNED TO EXTREME EXERCISE TO MAINTAIN THE BODY. SHE BELIEVED SHE NEEDED. I WAS GOING TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND EVERYTHING THAT WAS POPPING UP WAS LIKE FAT LOSS, WEIGHT LOSS, WEIGHT MAINTENANCE, BULKING AND CUTTING, INTERMITTENT FASTING. WHEN SHE WAS A FRESHMAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT, AN ACCIDENT CHANGED EVERYTHING. I SPILLED BOILING WATER ON MY LEG AND I HAD SEVERE THIRD DEGREE BURNS ON MY LEG, AND I WASN’T ABLE TO EXERCISE AT ALL. IF I CAN’T EXERCISE, I CAN’T EAT. AND IF I CAN’T EXERCISE FOR MONTHS, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? LIKE, I CAN’T JUST NOT EAT FOR MONTHS. SIDELINED AND AFRAID OF GAINING WEIGHT, CONTROL SHIFTED. I WAS JUST GOING TO STUDENT HEALTH TO GET MY WOUND CLEANED EVERY DAY, AND THEN I WOULD GO TO THE CONVENIENCE STORE AND STOCK UP ON SNACKS, GO HOME, BINGE PURGE, REPEAT IT THE NEXT DAY. WITH UNWAVERING SUPPORT FROM HER FAMILY, HOGAN SUMMONED THE COURAGE TO STEP AWAY FROM COLLEGE AND ENTERED RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT AT THE KLARMAN CENTER. THE DAYS AT KLARMAN WERE RIGID AND THERAPY WAS INTENSIVE, AND TODAY, HOGAN IS IN RECOVERY. NOT PERFECT, NOT FINISHED, BUT GROUNDED. YOU LEARN SO MUCH FROM EVERY OBSTACLE THAT DOES COME UP, AND IT JUST MAKES YOU THAT MUCH STRONGER WHEN YOU COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE. SHE’S BACK IN SCHOOL PURSUING HER MASTER’S IN NUTRITION AND HEALTH PROMOTION, DETERMINED TO UNDERSTAND THE SCIENCE OF FOOD IN A HEALTHIER WAY THAN HER ILLNESS ONCE ALLOWED, AND THE HEALING HAS COME IN SOME UNEXPECTED WAYS. LIKE THE CHEMISTRY AND PATIENCE OF SOURDOUGH FRESH FROM THE OVEN. THAT’S GOOD. SHE’S BECOME KNOWN AS THE GRILLED CHEESE GIRL OF SOUTH BOSTON. I WAS ONLY GOING TO DO IT ONCE, BUT AFTER I RAN OUT OF GRILLED CHEESES, THERE WERE PEOPLE ON THE SIDEWALK OUT OF MY APARTMENT CHANTING FOR GRILLED CHEESE AT LIKE ONE IN THE MORNING. AND I WAS LIKE, OH MY GOD, I HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN. AND SHE RUNS. NOT TO SHRINK HERSELF, BUT TO FEEL STRONG AS THE EXPERIENCED MARATHON RUNNER TRAINS FOR HER HOMETOWN RACE WITH THE MCLEAN HOSPITAL TEAM. IT’S A POWERFUL MOMENT OF RECLAIMING MOVEMENT, RECLAIMING HER BODY, AND RECLAIMING HERSELF. I FIND IT TO BE SO CATHARTIC, AND IT REALLY TAUGHT ME, LIKE, HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO FUEL MY BODY. RECOVERY ISN’T A STRAIGHT LINE, BUT FOR CHARLOTTE HOGAN, IT IS FORWARD. I THINK IT’S JUST INCREDIBLE WHAT YOU CAN DO WHEN YOU HAVE NOURISHED YOURSELF, WHEN YOU’RE HEALTHY, WHEN YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. I’M LIKE DELUSIONAL WITH MY GOALS AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT. LIKE THERE’S NO GOAL THAT I DON’T THINK THAT I COULD ATTAIN. AND CHARLOTTE TOLD US THAT AFTER THE SUCCESS OF HER GRILLED CHEESE STAND, SHE REACHED OUT TO REESE MCGUIRE, THE FORMER BOSTON RED SOX PLAYER, ABOUT DELIVERING SOURDOUGH BREAD TO THE TEAM. THEY ACCEPTED, AND CHARLOTTE SAID SOME OF THE PLA
Charlotte Hogan’s recovery leads to the Boston Marathon
A former swimmer shares how recovery reshaped her relationship with food, fitness and herself
Updated: 8:12 PM EDT Mar 12, 2026
Eating disorders are among the most serious mental health conditions—and far more common than many realize. Nearly 30 million Americans will experience one in their lifetime, and they carry the highest mortality rate of any mental illness after opioid addiction.At the Klarman Center for Eating Disorders at McLean Hospital in Belmont, recovery is built through structured treatment and a team approach designed to help patients return to life beyond the program.For Charlotte Hogan, that journey has come full circle.A former competitive swimmer, Hogan struggled with disordered eating after injuries and social pressures disrupted her routine in college. With support from her family, she entered treatment at Klarman.Today, she’s in recovery, pursuing a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics, and is known in South Boston for late-night grilled cheese pop-ups.She’s also running—training for the Boston Marathon with McLean’s team.”I find it so cathartic,” Hogan said. “It taught me how important it is to fuel my body.”Recovery isn’t a straight line. But for Hogan, it’s forward.
BOSTON —
Eating disorders are among the most serious mental health conditions—and far more common than many realize. Nearly 30 million Americans will experience one in their lifetime, and they carry the highest mortality rate of any mental illness after opioid addiction.
At the Klarman Center for Eating Disorders at McLean Hospital in Belmont, recovery is built through structured treatment and a team approach designed to help patients return to life beyond the program.
For Charlotte Hogan, that journey has come full circle.
A former competitive swimmer, Hogan struggled with disordered eating after injuries and social pressures disrupted her routine in college. With support from her family, she entered treatment at Klarman.
Today, she’s in recovery, pursuing a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics, and is known in South Boston for late-night grilled cheese pop-ups.
She’s also running—training for the Boston Marathon with McLean’s team.
“I find it so cathartic,” Hogan said. “It taught me how important it is to fuel my body.”
Recovery isn’t a straight line. But for Hogan, it’s forward.