Thanks for sparing a few minutes to look at my JustGiving page; it means so, very much to me.

Ever since my early Childhood years, I have always loved helping out others to the best of my ability. If I could get stuck in with helping to raise money for Charities, or simply give my time to those in need for a good cause, i'd do just that in a heart beat.

After a long, exhausting and extremely strenuous year for both my Family, and Myself, I am pleased to say I am currently doing absolutely fantastic, if I do say so myself, with my recovery and am, confidently and bravely, conquering all obstacles that have been thrown my way. My eating disorder, over an almost 2 yearly period, has regrettably and undoubtedly taken much more than anyone could ever imagine away from Myself and those around me whom I love ever so dearly. From my own experience from having, and still living with an Eating Disorder, I am more determined than ever to kick this nasty, soul-destroying illness to the curb once and for all! My family fought for my life when I had no fight left in me; when my illness had almost buried every feature and every quality that was true as to who I really was within. This curse of an illness almost left me an empty shell, until my family intervened and saved my life. My family who I am ever so grateful for - the ones who never turned their back on me despite all the animosity, the heartache and all of the fights. The family that fell apart, but is now starting to heal again with the bond between us becoming stronger than we could have ever imagined.

My parents were my rock in my greatest time of need. But, my Mum was my hero. She watched me slowly slipping away; disappearing right before her eyes. I pushed her away as I did everyone. But, she never gave up. 

Back when my Eating Disorder started, I had been having complicated Gastrointestinal Problems, which I still have to this day. This was the main foundation as to which my Eating Disorder developed. I started to cut certain foods out and did so for months, up until a certain point when things started to manifest themselves into my worst possible nightmare that, ultimately, became my harsh reality. My mum knew things were getting worse, yet I was so blind to it all. I thought that everything was fine, I mean, how could it not be? I had one of many things I had embedded deep into my mind: “You can't eat that, it causes you so much pain. Why put yourself through that? You don't need it." This was true. However, things changed as time went on, as my Eating Disorder became stronger. It then wasn't about the pain, I purely focused on the "You don't need it," and now I realise, how blind I truly was.

My mum pushed for months to get me seen by Eating Disorder services, Camhs to be exact. At this point I had been seeing my GP on the odd few weeks, to talk about things, to have a friendly face to see, and a 'friend' to listen to my worries and concerns. However, when I first started to notice signs of my Eating Disorder, I found myself feeling more confused then ever and refused to believe it myself, even when an element of me, deep down, knew I was only fooling myself. Then the worst thing happened. My GP started brushing me off, telling me I was worrying about nothing. She didn't listen to me when I needed someone to listen. I needed help and she didnt give me what I desperately needed.

I carried on seeing her for about 3-4 months until my referral had gone through to be seen by Camhs on Friday the 13th of January (how ironic!) And that was the day my life changed. It changed, but it changed for the greater good. I was immediately sent to hospital at a Critical weight and now, a year down the line, I am proud to say I have come an extremely long way. I am by no means where I would like and need to be, but I am physically and mentally so much better than I ever dreamed I would be again. I was given a second chance at life and that is something I will hold dear in my heart forever. 

People did care and people did help. They supported me, they did everything they could for me. After my discharge from General Hospital, I carried on seeing Camhs, where I got involved with Family sessions, met with the Dietician their service provided and had personal 1:1 sessions with a Psychologist. I am proud to announce that I am no longer in need of their services because of how well I am doing mentally and how I have completely changed my attitude towards food and myself for the better. As of January 2018, I was discharged and I could not be more happy. Happy that I received the help I needed and I hope that this can be the case for many other young sufferers too. Everybody deserves help and my ultimate goal is to ensure that nobody is denied this right!

I have decided to organise my 'Readathon' fundraising event as reading is one of my most favourite things to do. Due to my illness, my concentration suffered immensely and I found I could not read anything and retain anything I read, and this upset me deeply. Reading has always been a passion of mine and it is one of the main reasons I chose to recover.

It is the perfect idea as it is not a strenuous activity, nor does it require a lot of energy and work. It is the perfect way to get people involved, whilst also winding down after a busy day and relaxing by doing something you love. 

I hope you can all get involved like myself and help to raise money for Beat to raise awareness and help keep this fantastic, supporting system up and running.

If anyone would like to donate money, it would be greatly appreciated as the funds will be, obviously, going to a wonderful cause.

Many thanks and happy reading,

Georgie