Kara's Page

Hi friends and family!

I am planning to take part in the Sunshine Coast run event this year to fundraise for endED. endED is an organisation based on the Sunshine Coast that provides hope and support to those whose lives have been affected by Eating Disorders.

As some of you are aware, I was diagnosed 4 years ago with Anorexia Nervosa, one of the many types of eating disorders. This disorder is a mental illness that has serious physical, emotional and social impacts on someone's life and something I experienced. In the depths of it, I experienced things such as severe anxiety and depression, isolation, severe fear of food and socialising, social withdrawal, serious weight loss, impacts to organs and impaired ability to make decisions by myself or focus, loss of identify and confidence and excessive control and unhappiness. I was so unwell and came extremely close to hospitalisation. If it wasn't for my parents intervention, I would not be here today and would have given up.

By no means is this the end of the journey and there is a hell of a long way to go. It is only over the past 6 months that I have really started to feel some of my 'old' self and recover. The journey to recovery is not linear and is a long one and I have so many people to thank including my family, friends and dietician who have helped me face each day, not judged or given up on me.

endED has been a key part of the recovery. They have provided a space that was safe and allowed me to feel heard and valued as a person and not someone with an 'eating disorder' label. The 24/7 support, individual sessions, resources and strategies provided have been incredible. They have given me hope, a reason to keep fighting when the battle seemed impossible and pushing through on the days that feel relentless.

There is so much more to this journey (and one I am more than happy to share with anyone). This is more about raising awareness of Eating Disorders and the help that is out there. endED (along with many others) are literally the reason I am still here to share my story.

You can support me by making a donation to my fundraising page, big or small it all makes a difference.

Donations made through this platform are secure and will be remitted directly through to my charity of choice.

Thank you so much for your support. I appreciate it more than you realise!

X Kara