Christmas Hampers for Adolescent ED Patients

Hiya, I'm Siobhan! :)

This Christmas, I'm raising money to put together care packages/hampers for young people in inpatient treatment for eating disorders across the country.

I suffered from Anorexia Nervosa for five years. It cost me countless memories, my sense of self & belonging, and nearly my life. In November 2020, I was admitted to inpatient treatment in Galway, where I began my recovery and never looked back :)

Inpatient treatment saves so many lives, but it can also be lonely, compromising & emotionally draining, especially during the holidays. Despite how grateful I was to receive the care I did, I found spending the holidays & Christmas day in hospital absolutely heartbreaking. I was beyond lonely without my friends and family; I was ashamed of myself.

Anorexia has the highest death toll among any mental illness, and the nature of eating disorders is to isolate one from their loved ones. It forces you to turn inwards despite being so desperately in need of support. Now that I am two years into my recovery, I feel compelled to extend community and love to anyone living through and suffering from eating disorders.

I believe that it is paramount that we do whatever we can to let anyone (especially young people) inflicted by EDs to know that they are worthy of health, recovery, and a life surrounded by love! All I can hope to do this Christmas is to try and bring some joy into the lives of people who have shared this experience with me, and alleviate some of their sadness at such a difficult point in their lives. I want these hampers to remind the young people that there is a world after discharge that will be there to support them. :)