This September I will be completing the Great North Run for BEAT…a charity that helps individuals with eating disorders.

Unfortunately I have personally struggled with anorexia. Being able to complete this run is going to prove that there is life after struggling.

Here’s my story…

Lockdown 2020 I picked apart every part of my body, I isolated myself and drifted away from the real world.

After quietly struggling alone for over a year I found the courage to speak up and try to explain to my mam what was going on in my head. It took us over six months and myself getting to crisis point until I got help.

December 2021 I got diagnosed with Anorexia. This illness consumed me for years. I missed out on my teenage years. I wasn’t living anymore I was merely surviving.

However I am now lucky enough to say that with incredible help from nurses, family and friends I took the hardest step of my life towards recovery.

I really had to learn how to live again. Two years into recovery, my eyes opened…Life isn’t about how you look or how people perceive you. There is a whole world out there, with so many amazing things to see and do.

To the individuals who are in the unfortunate position that I was once in. This is for you. I want to prove to you all that there is life after an eating disorder. Just take the first step towards recovery and don’t look back.

And to the people who have helped me through this journey online and off, thank you. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you all.

Any donations will be hugely appreciated as they are supporting a great cause. BEAT help people to find inner strength that they will carry with them for life.

Reminder: A smile can hide a thousand words.

Finally to my mam and dad who never gave up on me I love you and thank you.

Sophie x