Charlotte Mercer
Charlotte's page
Fundraising for Beat
Story
"My name is Charlotte. I am 23 years old. I have had an eating disorder for over twelve years."
This is MY story:
My relationship with food has never been great anyway. I'm quite a fussy eater, but I spent most of my childhood being quite ill, so struggled with a poor appetite and strict diets. In 2005, when I was 10, my Grandfather died suddenly at the age of 56 from pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs. He ran countless marathons and half marathons, and generally had good health, which meant it came as a huge shock to our family.
After my Grandfather died, I lost my appetite completely. I stopped eating breakfast, I threw away my packed lunch at school, and I began to struggle with my dinner. This went on, and on, and on. I was becoming very ill. It was getting to a point where just thinking about my meal would make me full, and then when it was served to me at the table, just looking at it made me full. My parents tried the technique of saying to me "Okay Charlotte, eat 5 pieces of pasta for the 5 members of the Spice Girls, and you can get down from the table". Because even that was more than I could manage.
This went on for a few years before my road to recovery really began to happen. It took a long time, and it's very difficult to put into written words everything that I want to say. It's actually a lot easier to say in my head than it is to write it down, which for me, is not usual.
In September 2013, I first went to Beat, after visiting my doctor about something, who then reiterated to me that I had an eating disorder. I began attending their once monthly support groups for people in recovery of an eating disorder. It was a gradual weight off my shoulders to talk about mine and listen to other people's journeys.
An eating disorder is a mental illness. There are many types of eating disorders. It's not all about "I want to be really skinny", "I want to weigh less than.....", "I need to lose weight", "I must force myself to be sick after my meals". It's a stigma that isn't talked about enough! Unless you've had one, you don't really understand it fully, because you're not inside that person's head. Even when it is you with this illness, it's still very difficult to understand, as I have found out over the last 12 years. I still don't understand it fully. A lot of medical professionals or people who work in wellbeing don't understand, and they put you into categories that you don't belong in, meaning you don't get the right help for your problem. Even after support groups, counselling, and behavioural therapy, I have no definite answers for the way I behave around food. I never expect people to understand my issue, as I'm not 100% sure of it either, but it is part of my life, it always will be, and I have to accept that.
If I can open the eyes of my 300 odd facebook friends about something they probably don't know much about, then by getting them to help me fundraise for research and help for other people like me, then that's good enough for me. I'm in this for the awareness more than anything. There are so many people out there who are not in a good place, and need the proper help that I never had before I forced the help myself. Twelve years is too long, especially for someone of my age, but I'm doing my best! I want to help out this amazing charity, so it is there for other people with eating disorders, and for me to know there is forever this amazing service, in case I was ever to need it again.
Right now, although it is still a daily struggle for me, I am the happiest and healthiest I have ever been, so life for me is pretty good. It would be even better if you could all support me on this journey, of recovery, and running this half marathon.
Any donation is greatly appreciated, 50p to £50, I don't mind, because it all helps! I have set myself a bigger target than I've set before, but what's life without a few challenges!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of that. You can head over to Beat's website to find out more information about their research and campaigns, and also information about eating disorders, and help you can get if you or anyone you know is suffering.
I love you all so much, thank you :) xxxxxx
--------------------------------
I am fundraising for Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity. Beat supports anyone with an eating disorder, their friends and family, as well as professionals working with or worried about an individual in their care. These serious mental illnesses include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. 725,000 people in the UK have a diagnosed eating disorder. They affect people of all ages and backgrounds, and up to one in four sufferers are male. Eating disorders cost the UK's economy £16.8 billion each year.
This is MY story:
My relationship with food has never been great anyway. I'm quite a fussy eater, but I spent most of my childhood being quite ill, so struggled with a poor appetite and strict diets. In 2005, when I was 10, my Grandfather died suddenly at the age of 56 from pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs. He ran countless marathons and half marathons, and generally had good health, which meant it came as a huge shock to our family.
After my Grandfather died, I lost my appetite completely. I stopped eating breakfast, I threw away my packed lunch at school, and I began to struggle with my dinner. This went on, and on, and on. I was becoming very ill. It was getting to a point where just thinking about my meal would make me full, and then when it was served to me at the table, just looking at it made me full. My parents tried the technique of saying to me "Okay Charlotte, eat 5 pieces of pasta for the 5 members of the Spice Girls, and you can get down from the table". Because even that was more than I could manage.
This went on for a few years before my road to recovery really began to happen. It took a long time, and it's very difficult to put into written words everything that I want to say. It's actually a lot easier to say in my head than it is to write it down, which for me, is not usual.
In September 2013, I first went to Beat, after visiting my doctor about something, who then reiterated to me that I had an eating disorder. I began attending their once monthly support groups for people in recovery of an eating disorder. It was a gradual weight off my shoulders to talk about mine and listen to other people's journeys.
An eating disorder is a mental illness. There are many types of eating disorders. It's not all about "I want to be really skinny", "I want to weigh less than.....", "I need to lose weight", "I must force myself to be sick after my meals". It's a stigma that isn't talked about enough! Unless you've had one, you don't really understand it fully, because you're not inside that person's head. Even when it is you with this illness, it's still very difficult to understand, as I have found out over the last 12 years. I still don't understand it fully. A lot of medical professionals or people who work in wellbeing don't understand, and they put you into categories that you don't belong in, meaning you don't get the right help for your problem. Even after support groups, counselling, and behavioural therapy, I have no definite answers for the way I behave around food. I never expect people to understand my issue, as I'm not 100% sure of it either, but it is part of my life, it always will be, and I have to accept that.
If I can open the eyes of my 300 odd facebook friends about something they probably don't know much about, then by getting them to help me fundraise for research and help for other people like me, then that's good enough for me. I'm in this for the awareness more than anything. There are so many people out there who are not in a good place, and need the proper help that I never had before I forced the help myself. Twelve years is too long, especially for someone of my age, but I'm doing my best! I want to help out this amazing charity, so it is there for other people with eating disorders, and for me to know there is forever this amazing service, in case I was ever to need it again.
Right now, although it is still a daily struggle for me, I am the happiest and healthiest I have ever been, so life for me is pretty good. It would be even better if you could all support me on this journey, of recovery, and running this half marathon.
Any donation is greatly appreciated, 50p to £50, I don't mind, because it all helps! I have set myself a bigger target than I've set before, but what's life without a few challenges!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of that. You can head over to Beat's website to find out more information about their research and campaigns, and also information about eating disorders, and help you can get if you or anyone you know is suffering.
I love you all so much, thank you :) xxxxxx
--------------------------------
I am fundraising for Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity. Beat supports anyone with an eating disorder, their friends and family, as well as professionals working with or worried about an individual in their care. These serious mental illnesses include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. 725,000 people in the UK have a diagnosed eating disorder. They affect people of all ages and backgrounds, and up to one in four sufferers are male. Eating disorders cost the UK's economy £16.8 billion each year.