I was diagnosed with an eating disorder at age 13 and was hospitalised 5 times, 2 of these admissions where to a NHS specialist unit in London (300 miles from home) where I spent a total of 2 years. I have been in recovery since 2014.
This year I'm really focused on dispelling the myths around who eating disorders affect. They are primarily seen as a thin/white/female/young problem, meaning that the symptoms are often dismissed in men, the LGBTQ community, People of Colour and fat people.
I was incredibly lucky to get the help I did, especially on the NHS but even for me as an already thin person, the struggle to be taken seriously initially was a huge struggle and perpetuated my mental illness.
Today, I am probably the most recovered I have ever been which is why I've dedicated my work as a poet to raising awareness around this illness.
Everything I do now is for that kid I used to be. Never in a million years would they have thought they could stand on stages performing to rooms full of people. I want to give hope to all the kids out there who feel as though they don't deserve having a voice. 

The global pandemic has caused a surge in people struggling with eating disorders, so this year on ED awareness week it seems more important than ever to be addressing the stigma and underfunding of ED services in the UK.

1.25 million people in the UK live with an ED and it takes an average of 3 years for people to START receiving treatment- let's help change this.