I suffered from an eating disorder ('Anorexia Nervosa') from the age of 11 to 14 years, as a direct result of horrific bullying in school. Quite frankly because I was a bit overweight, and a girl who loved playing football. 

At its worse my weight plummeted to just below 4 stone, and was life threatening. 

As a result I was hospitalised, taken out of school, and had to live away from home for a couple of years to receive critical daily support in a specialised unit for children suffering from a variety of mental health illnesses.

Whilst at the time I do remember thinking: What have I done that's so terrible this has happened to me? Why can't you understand how difficult it is to eat a meal with that many calories in? How can I hide weights in my clothes, so the scales go up? and hating my parents for putting me in a place full of complete strangers ... 

Now, having fully recovered and gone on to achieve the things I have ... Playing professional female football; representing my country at every level; carrying the olympic torch; setting up a social enterprise that went on to be named the best in the UK in 2016 .... 

I'm only forever grateful to them for making what must have been the most heart wrenching decision, no parent ever wants to makes; and of course to the support staff for staying on the journey with me, when I did frustratingly continue to push back against the traditional methods of working & seek out my own alternative 'self care' therapies. 

Thankfully I never faced an eating disorder alone; my family unit (unlike so many others) was never destroyed as a result of this traumatic experience; a lot of my dreams have come true; and it has made me the person I am today. 

But its very hard to imagine if that hadn't been the case? 

There are estimated 1.25 million people in the UK suffering from an eating disorder right now. 

Many of which will be battling alone in secrecy and isolation. Not receiving the help they need and deserve, as quickly as possible.  

Eating disorders are widely misunderstood and stigmatised illnesses.

AND Trust me when I say this ... They could quite easily affect any one of us ...

Beat is the UK Charity for Eating Disorders, and a champion, guide and friend to anyone affected by eating disorders. 

The work they do is vital, and it's both life saving + changing. 

YET they receive no government funding, so they rely on the generosity of their supporters to continue the important work they do. 

When I learnt of this, it did not sit right at all. 

Therefore, I felt the time was immediately right for me to share my story (which admittedly I have struggled to tell before) and take on such a huge challenge to play my part. 

My call to action is: I hope you can support in some way. 

This could be in a variety of ways. 

Via donations;

Changing the way you wash;

Taking part in social events I have planned; 

Spreading the message and helping to create awareness; 

Supporting through training alongside or even on the big day with a banner. 

NO ACT OF KINDNESS, IS EVER TOO SMALL. 

IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.