Greta Thunberg’s mum has spoken out about her daughter’s passion for climate change activism and revealed that the young eco-warrior with autism hadn’t properly eaten or talked to other people before embarking on her quest to save the world.
In the new book written by Malena Ernman and her family, the mother revealed how Greta’s condition spiraled out of control when she was just 11.
“She was slowly disappearing into some kind of darkness. She stopped playing the piano. She stopped laughing. She stopped talking. And she stopped eating,” Ernman wrote.
In the months following after Greta was diagnosed with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder, the young girl had lost over 20 pounds and became increasingly silent and hard to talk to.
“After two months of not eating, Greta has lost almost 10 kg [22 pounds], which is a lot when you are rather small to begin with,” the 17-year-old’s mum added.
“Her body temperature is low and her pulse and blood pressure clearly indicate signs of starvation. She no longer has the energy to take the stairs and her scores on the depression tests she takes are sky high.”
According to the family, it wasn’t until Greta started her ‘School Strike for the Climate’ campaign that her health had begun improving.
“We see that she feels good as she draws up her plans – better than she has felt in many years. Better than ever before, in fact,” Ernman concluded.
Previously, Greta’s father, Svante, has also spoken out and revealed how his daughter’s decision to embark on a global eco-crusade helped save his daughter from depression.
As Svante admitted, he initially thought that his daughter leading the climate change movement was a “bad idea.”
However, as Mr. Thunberg expressed, he believes the eco-crusade saved his daughter because she previously refused to speak and eat properly.
“We thought it was a bad idea, just the idea of your own daughter sort of putting herself at the very front line of such a huge question like climate change. You wouldn’t want that as a parent,” Svante said during his appearance on BBC Radio 4 Today.
According to the dad, his daughter had been depressed for years after she was diagnosed with Asperger’s, causing her to shut in at her home and stop talking to other people.
As Svante added, Greta’s condition began improving after her mum stopped flying and he turned vegan.
“We are not climate activists, we never were. We knew it was the right thing to do – but I didn’t do it to save the climate, I did it to save my child,” he said.
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Replaced!