On 19 May I will be running my first ever marathon, raising funds for Beat, the UK’s eating disorders charity.

Beat campaigns on behalf of those suffering with eating disorders, aiming to reduce the stigma and challenge assumptions commonly associated with these conditions and to ensure all sufferers receive the treatment they need as quickly as possible. Beat provides accessible content aimed at educating family members, employers, teachers, healthcare professionals and sufferers themselves on best practice in the treatment of eating disorders and provides a helpfinder service to assist sufferers in finding and accessing the most appropriate treatment for their condition. Beat acts as a friend to sufferers and their loved ones, providing phone and email helplines as well as message boards and running support groups, helping those affected by these conditions feel less alone.  Any donations you make will go towards Beat’s activities in these areas, which are invaluable to those suffering with these serious and often life-threatening illnesses.

Beat estimates that approximately 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder, the most common being anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness, with research finding that 20% of sufferers will die prematurely as a result of their condition. Bulimia is associated with severe medical complications, and binge eating disorder sufferers often experience the medical complications associated with obesity.

The work Beat does in promoting an understanding of the symptoms of eating disorders, campaigning for prompt access to appropriate treatment for sufferers and supporting sufferers and their loved ones through the treatment process is invaluable. The prognosis for eating disorder sufferers significantly improves with appropriate treatment, and it has been shown that early intervention is often key to ensuring meaningful recovery.

I was diagnosed with anorexia in my early teens. When I first got ill neither I nor my family really understood what was happening to me. My local GP referred me to my local child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) but was reluctant to diagnose me with a psychiatric disorder due to the stigma that was at that time attached to such conditions. When I was eventually seen by a counsellor at the local CAMHS I was sent immediately to hospital where the doctor diagnosed me with anorexia and sent me home where I was forbidden from any unnecessary movement or exercise (including the five minute walk to school) and put on bed rest with my mum staying home from work to oversee a “refeeding regime” in an attempt to increase my weight to a level where my internal organs were not at imminent risk of failure. I have no doubt that if we had been aware then of the services offered by Beat these would have been of great help and support to both me and my family – recovery can be a lonely, miserable and distressing process and for each of us the opportunity to talk to others going through the same thing would have been a huge comfort. Beat’s work educating GPs and teachers on the symptoms of eating disorders and best practice in their treatment may also have led to me receiving treatment at an earlier stage in my illness. As it was for the following five years or so I benefited from two inpatient stays in an specialist eating disorder unit, months of thrice weekly outpatient treatment at the same unit, and years of weekly counsellor and monthly nutritionist appointments – all of which contributed to a level of weight restoration and mental health recovery sufficient to render me “recovered” by the time I left sixth form and headed to university, at which time I was discharged from my local eating disorder service (to which my care had been transferred from CAMHS when I turned 18). I have no doubt that I owe the life I live now to the treatment I received as a teenager and young adult. I was lucky. Access to treatment (which, in many cases, is life-saving) is not a given, even in the UK. Which is why the work Beat does campaigning for access to treatment is so incredibly important.

In the subsequent years I have continued to work on my mental health recovery. Running and strength training have played a huge part in mending my relationship with my body – giving me a healthy outlet for my determination, willpower and resilience whilst also providing a compelling reason for me to challenge an illness that would make it impossible for me to engage in the level of training I enjoy. Running has provided me with community, a sense of achievement, and an appreciation of the incredible things my body can do – despite the damage I have previously done to it as a result of my illness. So as well as being a fundraising effort this marathon is also a celebration of my body’s ability to heal and grow and of all the incredible opportunities having a healthy, functional body gives me.

If you feel able to donate that would be wonderful, and if not, please know how very grateful I am for your time and the support you have given me in reaching a place where I am healthy enough both physically and mentally to be undertaking this challenge.

If you would like to learn more about Beat’s work, or eating disorders please visit Beat’s website at https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/. If you are worried that you or someone you know may be suffering from an eating disorder Beat provides a number of resources regarding the symptoms of and where to get treatment for these. If you want to follow my training journey and get some insights into other resources I have found helpful in my recovery please feel free to follow me on instagram at @mary.louise.__

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