I’ve served in the Army for 22 years in some not so nice place’s all over the world, but nothing scared me as much as seeing my daughter struggle with an eating disorder.

As a Dad, you say to yourself. You would know if something was wrong. But when it got down to it. I was a bit late waking up. Maybe I was lying to myself and could see her get worse and worse by the day. And just didn’t want to admit there was something wrong or it was a phase that she would grow out of. But she didn’t.

Just over 3 years ago Ammie was diagnosed with an eating disorder, by the time we realised how bad it was, there was nothing we as a family could do and she had to spend some time in hospital.
It was hard enough to feel utterly useless. Beating myself up for not being there for my girl. At least we could visit her. We all know what happened on March 2020.

 
No one new how long this would last as the weeks went into months. She slowly improved. Through her hard work she completed her college course and is now at Anglia Ruskin University studying Nursing - Child and Mental Health.

After over two decades in the army hunched over, crawling under helicopters, My knees are shot, my ankles are done. Believe me the last thing I really want to be doing is the great north run. I would rather cycle 100 miles in a blizzard than run 13 miles.

In the Army, I learned what it's like to have people around you that have your back. People that you can talk to that understand you. People that are there for you even in your darkest scariest moments.
That's why I’m running for BEAT, so dads, parents and friends of people like Ammie don’t have to go it alone and can get better access to the care and support they need when they need it.

They need to know someone has their back.

Beat is the UK's eating disorders charity. We exist to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. We are a champion, guide and friend to anyone affected, giving individuals experiencing an eating disorder and their loved ones a place where they feel listened to, supported and empowered.We predict 1.25 million people are affected by these serious mental illnesses. Eating disorders can be deeply isolating for the people affected by them. Our online support groups and training for carers allow people to talk to others with similar experiences, helping them to feel less alone with their eating disorder. We run phone and email helplines 365 days a year for anyone who needs us. Often when people get in touch its the first time they've voiced their concerns about themselves or a loved one.