A Nantwich man is planning a fundraising walk to his favourite football team for a charity helping his wife battle an eating disorder.
Jack Hughes, 30, hopes to raise awareness of how charity BEAT can help others with eating disorders and their families cope with the condition.
Jack’s wife Vicki, 24, has fought an eating disorder for nearly eight years and the couple say it is only now they are receiving the right support.
He is set to walk 39 miles from Nantwich Football Club to Goodison Park, home of his beloved Everton FC. The couple live close to Nantwich’s ground off Waterlode.
“I have seen this horrible mental illness take over Vicki’s life and control every aspect of who she is as a person,” said Jack.
“What I learnt very quickly with this mental illness is I can’t take it away.
“I can’t just watch over her all the time the brain takes over.
“The best way to explain it is there are two Vicki’s – the eating disorder Vicki and then the most amazing, beautiful human I have ever known.
“But the eating disorder brain always wins.”
Jack says Vicki is in the process of recovery now, but that it is still a daily battle fighting the illness.
“Without the support she receives from a range of people, I would not be writing this post – I would be writing a eulogy,” he added.
“For me personally this walk is about raising awareness of eating disorders and how early intervention will help make recovery more likely.
“BEAT have helped us both probably without knowing to be honest.
“BEAT was the first website I used to understand eating disorders and the many eating disorders there are.”
It’s estimated that eating disorders cost the UK government £16.8 billion a year.
It takes on average 27 weeks for eating disorder treatment to start after a first visit to GP – and only if they diagnose you at that point.
And statistics suggest one in 5 people who suffer from an eating disorder will lose their lives.
Three in 5 only partially recover and eating disorders have the highest mortality rates among all psychiatric disorders.
“I decided to do this walk as I can’t do anything else for Vicki,” added Jack.
“I can’t take it away all I can do is support her and be there.
“But I can raise as much money as possible so other people with eating disorders get the support they need and their families also get the correct support.”
Jack hopes to complete the walk in the first few weeks of the football season and wants to raise £400.
You can support Jack and his fundraiser by visiting his Justgiving page here
Recent Comments