2008 40 Under 40 Honoree: Laura Daly

Laura Daly is a lucky woman.

Having been misdiagnosed for years with an eating disorder, she was told by the doctor who finally discovered her condition that she would have died had she waited another week to see him.

Now Daly is on a mission to help others who may have the same condition.

As a result of a birth defect, Daly’s gallbladder was not attached to her liver. Symptoms of gallbladder disease first appeared when Daly was a month old, but her worst symptoms began when she was 15.

Although heavier when she was younger, Daly lost a lot of weight in high school, leading people, including multiple doctors, to believe she was starving herself. In reality, her body couldn’t digest food.

Standard gallbladder tests are performed while lying down, Daly says, but being in a prone position didn’t reveal her problem because her gallbladder appeared to be in the correct position.

It wasn’t until Daly’s mother found Dr. William Smedley in Pennsylvania that the family thought they might find an answer. Smedley tests patients in an upright position.

“If I wasn’t sitting up, they wouldn’t have found my gallbladder wasn’t attached,” Daly says. “The only time I was really digesting food was when I was lying down.” Gallbladder disease runs in her family, but surgery corrected the issue.

These days, in addition to owning Daktari Interior Design, Daly has a Web site, www.curingea

ingdisorders.org, and she has written “Anorexia Misdiagnosed,” a book about her experience.

Daly participated in the 2008 Miss Missouri USA pageant, where she received the Carl DiCapo Leadership Award.

Next up: establishing an organization to help people.

“I am in the process of starting the nonprofit,” Daly says. “It is in order for people to get the right tests performed here.”

Daly also is working with state legislators to enact a law that would require doctors to eliminate all known physical causes of weight loss before making a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

“Missouri could lead the way for other states to enact the same law,” Daly says. “If such a law were to be considered and enacted, my story would gain much more publicity, and I could help many more children and young people.”

Double Play

Birth date: April 8, 1981

Family: My parents, Steve and Marilyn, own their own business, CopyBiz, in Springfield, and through that experience, they show the importance of teamwork and dedication. I have one brother, Jesse, a CPA and financial planner in Kansas City. His wife, Sarah, is a copywriter who owns her own business. Completing my life is a love I have had for seven years, Charlie Gerken, a real estate agent in Branson and a 2005 40 Under 40 honoree.

Philosophy to live/work by: Carpe diem. I believe in making the most of every day. Going through the many health challenges that I have endured, I feel every day is a gift.

In a fantasy world, which professional sport would you play? Boxing … because I have always been a fighter, especially these last few years of my life.

Information accurate at the time of the honor.[[In-content Ad]]