I met Daisy at the University of Southampton - We were both cast in our Fresher's musical, Our House and hit it off from the very start. Unfortunately, due to the seriousness of her anorexia nervosa, she had to drop out of university later in the year, but is unable to qualify for treatment under the NHS as her BMI is too high.

Her family have found a treatment centre in Cape Town that after consultation, seems to be the best option for Daisy. However, the high cost of the treatment means that it is not currently financially viable. With a disease such as anorexia nervosa, by the time that the NHS parameters are met, the chance of a good prognosis is greatly lowered. Daisy is really one of my closest friends; she's a brilliant person, and her funny and positive outlook has really been a big plus in my life, as well as everyone else around her.

Mental health is extremely close to my heart. Having spent time in hospital myself, I was extremely lucky and privileged to have had access to private healthcare. Under the NHS, it is very difficult for people with mental health issues to seek treatment, and even so, prognosis and the chance of a regular, healthy life can be highly variable. Specialist (and more often than not, private) healthcare in the UK is one of the few ways available that can provide results - however, this is also not always accessible.

In order to help raise funds, I'm aiming to walk from Southampton to London on the 16th of December. I hope that by raising this money will help Daisy get the treatment she needs so that she can come back to University!

Daisy's Justgiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/daisy-recovery?utm_id=107&utm_term=Yn2dvRr7A