From anorexia to oars

I’m always hugely inspired by anyone who raises money for charities they feel passionately about, whether that’s jumping out of aeroplanes, running marathons for Mind or walking a mile for Motor Neurone Disease. My own best friend ran a gruelling 12 miles last February for BEAT to show her support for my own recovery from anorexia. (It still gives me goose bumps when I think about it!)

But to me, it is even more inspirational when someone overcomes their own battle with an eating disorder and goes on to raise money to help other people and raise awareness. So, how can you top overcoming personal adversity to get stuck in with fundraising I hear you ask? Well, 

How about smashing a rowing first too? 

Eight women from Oxford University’s Corpus Christi College Boat Club are preparing to do just that. 

In June they’ll be rowing an arm-aching 180km from Oxford to London to raise money for Eating Disorders Charity, BEAT. They are the first female crew to give it a go. However, not all of these super-women were always as strong. 

At 13 years old Esther Rich (pictured centre front) was battling anorexia nervosa, a year later she was in the grips of the illness and at 15 years old was admitted as an inpatient at an eating disorder unit in Stoke on Trent. 

She explains; “My illness was triggered mainly by friendship breakdowns, which left me wanting to be invisible, it really set in at 14.”  After nine tough months fighting Esther was discharged from the service. 

Now, aged 19 and fully recovered, she is a second year psychology student at Oxford University and plans on becoming a Clinical Psychologist. She told me she’s passionate about giving back; “I want to help those in the same situation I was in. I have also just secured a supervisor to allow me to write my final year dissertation on the causes and treatment of eating disorders.” 

She added; “I now volunteer as a Young Ambassador for Beat, which involves raising awareness, speaking at conferences, talking to current inpatients about recovery and fundraising for the charity to continue their amazing work.” 

Esther, happier and healthier.

Esther, who rows at bow (the position best suited to her 5ft2 frame, I'm told!) and the rest of the CCBC crew are pushing their bodies to the limit to raise as much money as they can for BEAT, setting themselves a target of £10,000. A sum of money which could raise a lot more awareness of eating disorders and provide support and advice for sufferers, their family and friends. 

As they hit the water to build strength for their challenge, they’ve coined to motto:

‘We will push our bodies to the limits to stop eating disorder sufferers from doing the same.’ 

They hope to show others that you can overcome the grips of an eating disorder and go on to be healthy, strong and to help others. Tell me, how can you get more inspirational than that?

***

The ladies will be hitting the water between 23rd - 26th June 2013 and you can sponsor Esther and the crew via their Just Giving page here: www.justgiving.com/londonrow 

If you want to know more about eating disorders or are worried about a loved one, get in touch with BEAT or Team Recovery for support. 

Depression, Divorce and Dress Fittings

So, a week in to being the ripe old age of twenty six and, my gosh is life more complicated than a decade ago. Not only is my life more often than not in some type of trauma or crisis, but my friends around me seem to be suffering from some sort or mid-to-late-20s breakdown slash life laundry process. Although at the moment I really hope it's a quick wash...

There seem to be two main types of 26. One is planning her wedding, trying for babies or buying houses. The other, myself included, still doesn't know what she wants to do, is single non-committal-but-having-fun type of relationship girl, really wants to earn more and sees her beauty and psycho therapists once a week.  The third group, which is thankfully smaller, is getting divorced already. 

Whilst lying in bed watching women younger than me give birth on C4's 'One Born Every Minute' I do often wonder why there is such a split in lifestyle at this time in our lives?

Take me friends and me for example. I am single. Not happy in my job. Not earning enough money and not meeting worthwhile men. But kinda okay with it all.  Then meet my friends;

One friend, I'll call her A, is going through a sticky divorce, has two children and lost her Dad last year. She's had an eating disorder and has suffered from depression.

Another, friend B in this case, is getting married, wants kids soon after but gets constant crap from her employer, we are regularly in tears to each other on the phone.

Friend C has been signed off from work with depression and recently been prescribed anti-Ds to help her get through a mess of a situation with a recently rekindled relationship with a man who had an 8 month affair last year. He too has a big mess to deal with. 

D hasn't spoken to me for over a year now, she was sectioned under the mental health act for anorexia, bulimia and depression to name a few. I hate this.

The lovely E is getting married, shes still crazy and works her arse off, she owns her house, has a brand new car and loves her job. Most people would envy her. I know she also has issues, has been depressed and a war is brewing with her sisters. Watch this space.

Then there is F, she is expecting her first baby, lives with her long term boyfriend and seems really happy. Bless. 

I am left wondering what I want. Where I want to be and who I want to be WITH. I need to get over this commitment phobia I seem to have developed, stop working so hard and let myself go a bit. Or, I could just get a cat? 

Teenage Troubles: Feature Series

O.M.G...Why does MY family have to be different...life is so unfair.

Everyone thinks their family is like, totally, the most embarrasing family in the whole universe. The reality is that all families are different. For Emma, aged 12, it's the fact she has two Mums and is one of the growing number of young people living with lesbian parents.

More and more teenagers are growing up with gay parents...

Pink Parents

“Meet Louise, my new partner.” 12 year old Emma looked up from her homework. Her jaw dropped, standing in front of her was her mum’s girlfriend.

If you think this is unusual, think again. It is estimated that by 2020, just 14 years time, one in ten teenagers will have two mums. This means that in your average lesson at school at least three of your classmates will live with a lesbian mother.

Read her full story HERE

Teenage Trauma: Feature Series

Sometimes life just totally sucks as a teenager, but sometimes it can get more serious than anyone could ever imagine. For Becky, it took over her life. Read her story...

“Cutting Myself Helped Me Escape”

After her Mum left, Becky thought self-harm was the only way to cope...

“Looking back its crazy how things got so bad, but at the time I felt as if cutting myself was the only thing that stopped my life spiralling out of control.

“I was 14 when my Mum sat me and my brother down in the kitchen to tell us she was leaving. It was a huge shock to everyone, but she said she felt trapped and had to leave.

“We‟d always had a perfect family and I was even teased at school for my dream life with designer clothes and big house, but from that moment I knew that life was never going to be the same again.

Download the full feautre here