NOW TRAINS AS A NURSE
“My face doesn’t look the same as it did and finding shoes and heels to wear is harder, but I’m lucky to be alive so it’s a small price to pay.”
While in hospital she was visited by the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) team but there was no dedicated space for their appointments.
KITCHEN
She recalls: “I was talking about why I’d tried to end my life while sat in a communal kitchen with visitors popping in to make tea.
“It wasn’t the mental health team’s fault, that’s just how limited the provisions are. But they were still a huge support.”
Doctors also encouraged her to eat properly again and she credits golden retriever Leo, a specially trained Pets As Therapy dog, for giving her a boost. Leo cheered her up every week when he visited the children’s ward with his handler, volunteer Lyndsey Uglow. Becky says: “I’d always wanted a puppy so having Leo pop in was great. Sometimes he gave me cuddles, other times he distracted me when the pain was too much.”
Becky, who is now in the second year of her nursing degree, has become a vocal advocate of mental health support for teenagers with eating disorders. Research shows early intervention is the key for helping children
X-rays show how Becky’s body was pinned together recover from mental health problems, yet the NHS spends just 0.7 per cent of its budget in this area.
Three in four children with a diagnosable condition do not get access to the support they need, and those who do have to wait 10 months on average.
Tom Madders of mental health charity Youngminds said: “Every day we get calls from parents who don’t know where to turn.”
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BECKY ON HOW HOSPITAL ‘ANGELS’ AIDED RECOVERY