I met Anorexia when I was 7 years old, she promised me the sun the moon and the stars. She promised she would make it all better , that life would be better if I listened to her. Anorexia is a parasite it twists your mind to believing that what you're doing is right and neccessary, over time I eventually stopped eating but ; as a young child somehow I was able to realize that my lack of energy was down to lack of food and that was why I couldn't play.
The 'voice' of Anorexia inside my mind took the manifestation of an woman whos voice I did not recognise as anyone in my life; I would continue my battle for many more years and eventually Anorexia would take me. I would become a shell of myself, simply a host to the disorder. At 15, things went from bad to worse as the visible appearance of being 'anorexic' took form and there was no hiding anymore. Anorexia makes you very manipulative, that is why it goes undetected for so long! You are able to play pass a lot of the disorder of by lying or just tricking people . I attended the eating disorder clinic of which I am still under; the NHS were convinced I would never get better and there were some heartless comments made as to my future and whether I would even make it. At sixteen I was severly ill, in heart failure, bald and a shell of who I once was, I couldn't fight her.

I was suicidal; convinced there was no way out. I was engaging in self-harm, overdosing and was excessively exercising ;  eventually at seventeen I was told I wouldn't make it to my eighteenth birthday due to my body weight, damage done to my body and how malnourished it was. My body made that clear a week later when heart failure turned into an early stage heart attack. I was placed on bed rest and much to the medical proffessionals disapproval , my mum with the support of my GP re-fed me at home under the 'Maudsley' method (Inpatient at home). 
It would be a long fight to free the girl who no longer existed inside this body; I was terrified to fight, but eventually with the support of my family, GP and Instagram I did, I shouldn't be here but I am. I fought a disease that I was told would win , I survied it and 
that is why this project is so important, to show people that Anorexia is a deadly disease. The Project aims to answer the questions people don't usually want to ask and to teach other people that The end result may be the skeletal frames the media shows us but that Anorexia isn't always the skeletal frames and that actually by the time it is visible it is often too late . Eating disorders 'eat' you from the inside out causing the damage to organs before our physiques become visibly 'poorly' to the eye.

I believe that together as a society, educating our children on not only eating disorders, but mental health in general; we can remove the stigma surrounding not just eating disorders,but mental health in general. Teaching not just our children, but our society, as well that it is always ok to speak out and that no illness is invalid.
The initial aim is to help society understand that EVERY eating disorder and mental illness is VALID, that every person is VALID; that eating disorders and mental illnesses DO NOT discriminate and that they take lives just as easily as any other physical illness. 
Together we can fight against Eating Disorders and other forms of mental illness.
Mental Illness is manipulative and it will do anything to remain undetected, it is a parasite. 
I was a complete shell of myself at the worst of my illness and I am lucky to be standing here today, strong. 

Why don't sufferers just speak out ? 

1. Eating Disorders are a lifestyle choice, they are based solely on the individuals vanity.
Truth: The link between the sufferers dissatisfaction in terms of their body could lead people to come to this decision. However a person with an eating disorder has severe disturbances with their relationship with food. It is a psychological disorder causing a great deal of distress to the sufferer and those around them. Eating disorders also lead to SEVERE medical complications regardless of 'severity' of the disorder, Eating disorders cause major strain on all the major organs.
There are many triggers and they are not influenced by vanity. Sufferers benefit highly from EARLY intervention and will need both physical and psychological treatments.

2.Eating Disorders are a cry for attention.
Truth: People with Eating disorders often go to extreme lengths to hide their disorder. They often refuse to acknowledge anything is wrong and find it hard to engage in treatment .

3. Families are to blame.
TRUTH: This is a common belief in society that family members can cause eating disorders but in fact there is no evidence to suggest this , there is however indication of eating disorders having some genetic link. Genetics can play a role in many illnesses, but there is strong evidence in the genes being present in family members. HOWEVER, it is important to remember that there are other factors in eating disorders.

4. Eating disorders only happen in white middle class adolescent girls.
TRUTH: EATING DISORDERS DO NOT DISCRIMINATE. This myth potentially is our biggest to crack; it can prevent boys and men from coming forward for help which is potentially deadly. Eating disorders affect anyone, any age, gender or ethnicity.