Hey! 

Thank you for clicking the link to get here, you bloomin' star.

I have finally bit the bullet, and have signed up to do my first FULL marathon in Edinburgh on the 26th May 2019. When I registered, the car I was in crashed 10 minutes later, so THAT WAS A GOOD SIGN. So we're just going to see how it goes and if I crawl over the finish line, so be it. 

I have again decided to fundraise for the FABULOUS charity Beat. I have received a lot of support over the past year from Beat whilst trying to recover from my eating disorder, and not be too dramatic, but there are points where I think their helpline service has really helped keep me alive.

I was officially diagnosed with Bulimia Nervosa in November 2017 after suffering with the illness for 9 years. Bulimia is most well known as an eating disorder with patterns of binging (eating large quantities of food) and purging (compensatory behaviours). Binges are out of control eating, in quantity and sometimes speed. However purging can occur in many ways such as vomiting, over exercising, restriction, laxatives and diuretics. Its a horrible and destructive cycle, which once you are trapped in, is very hard to get out of. It is not an illness that is glamorous, or that anybody would choose to have.

Unfortunately, the fixation on treating eating disorders and determining 'how ill' someone is, in many areas (including where I live), is still determined by a sufferer's physical health and weight. Not all sufferers are underweight, and you cannot determine the level of mental distress someone is in by their weight alone. Eating disorders are mental illnesses.

This is why I am raising money for Beat. They provide support for  ANYONE effected by an eating disorder whether you are a sufferer, parent, carer, sibling, friend or colleague, they are there to help. They also continue to work to campaign to raise awareness, for early intervention, improved access to treatment, training and to dispel the stigma and misunderstandings surrounding eating disorders.

Beat are available to contact by phone, 1-2-1 online chat, online support group and message boards every day of the year. They are a wonderful bunch of people and I honestly don't think I will ever be able to repay the invaluable support they have offered me.

If you would like to learn more about Beat and eating disorders, you can do so here: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/.

Thank You,

Hannah :) 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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