Holly’s Story:

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (1st-7th March) and we have decided to walk 175km over the course of the week to represent my 175 weeks of “proper” recovery! 

When I was 11, my eating habits and thoughts around food changed and I began heavily restricting what I ate. For the next 3 years, I suffered with this dark illness completely alone. Eating disorders are secretive and manipulative illnesses that can consume anyone of any age without their realisation and, until I was diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia nervosa at 14, I did not realise what I was doing wasn’t normal. 

The last 4 years have been a struggle but when I finally began receiving the right help in October 2017, my life changed drastically. My teenage years have been filled with therapy, hospital trips and constant mental battles with myself but now after years of hard work, much support from the best family and friends and the excellent care I have received I am able to lead a full life. I am able to laugh with my friends again, go out for meals with my family and do the things I love. 

 Eating disorder are terrible mental illnesses that can rip apart your life and it makes it even harder when you feel like no one understands what you’re going through. Beat are always undergoing new research in to how we can better understand eating disorders and provide people with the help they need. They also run helplines and online support groups for sufferers and their families and provide amazing resources focused on coping with this mental illness. They can’t do this without the proper funding. 

We know that mental health organisations are, wrongly, massively underfunded and it’s vital that they are able to carry on their work. I hope to raise some money in order to thank services for everything they’ve done to improve my life. It would mean the world to both me and Megan if you could donate anything you can or just share this page. Every little helps. Let’s help beat eating disorders together! Thank you :)