What's your biggest fear?

When I was 15, my biggest fear was letting go of my eating disorder. I fully believed that I could only be valued and accepted if I strived for an idea of perfection. In my pursuit, I clung to distorted beliefs and restrictive behaviours at the expense of my health, in the hope that one day I would meet these standards and feel "good enough". 

Taking the first step to fight Anorexia Nervosa was one of the hardest and scariest things I have done. It meant trusting others, and believing that there was a possibility that I might be "good enough" just the way I am. 

I am an ambassador and a web-chat support volunteer for Beat. Beat is a charity that provides advice and support to sufferers and loved ones through their web-chats, helpline and support groups. Beat are also involved in raising awareness and providing information about eating disorders to people in the UK through workshops, talks, training and campaigns.  

Approximately 1.25 million people in UK alone have an eating disorder, with around 25% of those affected being male. NHS Digital data shows between 2017 - 2020 there were 21,794 hospital admissions for eating disorders, a 32% increase on 2017-2018, with children accounting for almost a quarter. On average, it takes 27 weeks for treatment for an eating disorder to start after the first visit to a GP.  During the pandemic, Beat has seen a 300% increase in contact for support and advice. Despite the rise in hospital admissions and demand for support and treatment, there is lack of investment into research on eating disorders, with only 96p spent on eating disorder research per person affected compared to £228 on cancer. In response to these facts, I decided to fundraise to help Beat in continuing their amazing work in raising awareness and supporting those affected by an eating disorder. 

What better way to raise money than facing another of my biggest fears. Heights. I will be taking another leap of faith (this time quite literally) by jumping out of a plane at 10,000ft to fall through the sky at 120mph. So this is for all those incredible people who are facing their fears and battling their eating disorders. Together, we will one day beat eating disorders. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.