Rarely a week goes by without me hearing about yet another rowing challenge to raise money for charity. Often I put my hand in my pocket to help them out, but there are so many of them that they rarely make it on to my blog. When it comes to the amazing, strong women of Corpus Christi College Boat Club, though, I’m delighted to make an exception.
Right now, these girls are rowing from Oxford to London – 180km over four days – to raise money for the eating disorder charity, Beat. One of them – Esther Rich – is an ambassador for Beat, having suffered from anorexia herself as a young teenager. Rowing has proved instrumental in maintaining her recovery at university, encouraging her to eat well and embrace her body as something wonderful and powerful. Amen to that.
Whether or not you know much about eating disorders – and given that about 1.6 million people in the UK are affected by it, the chances are you’ve come across them – it’s worth pausing just to remind yourself how dangerous they can be. Here are just a few facts:
- 20% of anorexia sufferers suffer premature death because of their illness – typically they die of heart failure, pneumonia or refeeding syndrome
- Children as young as six have been diagnosed
- 23% of sufferers have the condition long term
- Boys are not immune – around 11% of sufferers are male
Aside from the most alarming statistics, anorexia and bulimia destroy young lives and those of their families. Up and down the country, children and teenagers are in hospital and psychiatric units, missing school and leading half lives because of eating disorders.
And do you know what the hardest part is? The very things that will cure them – eating and gaining weight – are the things that terrify them the most.
People don’t choose to have eating disorders. Conditions like anorexia develop a momentum of their own, so what started as an attempt to shift some weight spirals out of control. Without them realising it, sufferers’ brains undergo changes that make them even more rigid in their thinking. It’s a vicious circle that can only be broken by eating, gaining weight and receiving psychiatric support.
The good news is that the majority recover and go on to lead happy and fulfilling lives. Beat is there to help them along the way. It provides excellent resources and support for sufferers, their friends and families, with a helpline, clearly written publications and online forums.
So if you can spare a bit of money, please support the girls as they do their row. Just click here – you could be saving a life.
