Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
G ds d of om exia
Eatment pulled rink of death
with five girls, had a great social life and was doing well at my studies. I couldn’t even tell you how or why it started. At first, I decided to cut out carbs.”
But this soon spiralled, and before she knew it, she was hardly eating a thing.
“I didn’t have anxiety before, but I soon did. In the end, I had such little energy I had to quit uni. I was like a ombie,” she says. he struggles they faced ugh were immense. t one point I was red to even drink er,” Lizzie says. “I felt so rly all the time.” he was not alone. “I cold the whole time,” a agrees. “Mum used to p me up in blanket after blanket to try to keep me warm. I had no energy, yet somehow would still find the strength to exercise.”
For these three, the knowledge that they have all been through the same thing is clearly a source of strength.
“It’s because the anorexia is stronger than anything,” Lizzie says. “I just had to keep moving the whole time. If I kept still, I’d be terrified I’d put on weight.”
By August 2015, Lizzie weighed just over 5st.
“Mum would insist on sleeping with me,” Lara says. “She was terrified I’d exercise at night and it’d put too much strain on my heart. Sometimes I’d lie down and my heart would be doing funny things. One night I texted Mum to say I didn’t think I was going to make it through the night.” All three missed out on huge parts of their lives due to crippling anorexia.
Lara started receiving treatment, which slowly helped, but she knew it was going to be a long journey. Then, in October 2015, she was at a treatment centre for young people with eating disorders when she met Lizzie and Ellie. It was a life-changing moment for all three girls.
“It was somewhere you’d go for the day, have breakfast, lunch and dinner – a day service basically,” Lara says.
“You’d come home at night, but during the day you’d be monitored with help at hand if needed. And as soon as I met Ellie and Lizzie we just clicked. We were all very similar and understood how the others had ended up here,” she says.
“That’s the thing with anorexia,” Lizzie says. “People don’t really get that it’s a mental illness. They say, ‘You aren’t fat, so why aren’t you eating?’
“But only someone who’s been through it can truly understand, and that’s what bonded us.”
Over the next couple of days the girls spent all their time together, reflecting on their illness. The thing they all agreed about was how much they’d missed out on.
“But we all vowed that we wanted to look forward, grab life and make the most of it,” Lizzie says. “We wanted to discover life again and to do that together.” On
We went to Cyprus and it was just incredible. Sometimes I’d be lying by the pool and look at the other two, and say, ‘Can you believe we’re doing this? We’re living a normal life’.
“And they totally agreed. We swam, sunbathed, ate delicious food and drank far too much.
“Because of each other, we don’t want to be the one to relapse. You’re frightened that they would then get ill too.”
“Of course, we have days when it’s hard,” Lizzie admits.
“But it’s so reassuring that the other girls are just a phone call away – I know they’ll get me through the struggle. And I’ll do it for them.”
Lara is preparing to go to Bath University to study psychology, Ellie is a nurse and Lizzie is soon going to Northumbria University to study mental health nursing.
But not before Lara and Lizzie set off for Peru to take part in the Salkantay Trek for charity.
“Sadly, Ellie can’t get the time off work, so it’s just me and Lizzie,” Lara says. “But we can’t wait. We’re doing it for Beat, the UK’S Eating Disorder Charity, and we have already raised £3,300.
“From something as awful as anorexia, we all gained a friendship we’ll treasure for ever – we saved each other when we needed each other most.
“We may not have had much of a past, but thanks to our friendship we all now have a life worth living, and one we can’t wait to explore together.”