Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

On the 17th December, I will be doing a sponsored challenge: walking 0.8 miles and eating 1 slice of cake. "Why should I sponsor that?" I hear you say. It's a fair point, but for me personally this is a far harder challenge than running a half marathon or going for a dip in the sea. You may or may not know that I have struggled for several years with a combination of bulimia, anorexia and over-exercise. This resulted in me being admitted to St John's hospital last November, where the incredible team on the Regional Eating Disorders Unit (REDU) ward nursed me back to health. The team at REDU are the most patient, caring and selfless group of people I have ever met. Not only did they restore me to physical health, they showed me that life could be worth living again when I was in a place of utter despair.

For the first month of my admission, I was consigned to a wheelchair - the 17th of December marks one year to the day that I "got my legs back" and was allowed to walk again unaccompanied. To celebrate this anniversary I will be walking from my house to the local cafe (Bread & Butter) to eat a slice of cake - which I would not have thought possible one year ago.

Through this event I hope to raise money for the wonderful REDU Ward to support them in their tireless efforts to turn people's lives around and pick them up in their darkest times.

I hope also to raise awareness of eating disorders, to encourage other who are suffering to get help, and to show that life can get better. Christmas is an especially difficult time of year for those with eating disorders, with food and drink forming integral parts of socialising. So if you can't donate, that's no problem. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for helping raise awareness.

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