Katya’s eating disorder first started when she was just 13 years old.
She went through the constant cycle of recovery and relapse. Over and over again. And she’s not the only one.
In Katya’s experience, hospitals often use a ‘one size fits all’ approach to treat eating disorders, and while this works for some, most people need personalised treatment.
If Katya had received better treatment sooner, she may not have relapsed, but instead, her body begun to shut down. She had dreams of becoming a doctor to help people, but she struggled to go to school for the full day because her knees hurt, and she was easily tired from not eating enough.
“I was giving up on my dreams for an illness that was trying to kill me, because that’s it’s goal,” says Katya.
While Katya has recovered from her eating disorder now, she still has heart problems that might stay with her for life…
During her many stays in hospital, Katya made friends with Liv, another patient relapsing from her own eating disorder.
But Katya saw Liv’s spark slowly fade. “Each time I was readmitted to hospital, I would see Liv, and each time, she would be just a little bit less herself than when I had previously seen her,” says Katya, “The last time I saw her, she was just a shell of herself.”
The hospital system didn’t work for Liv. She needed a personalised treatment plan, like what Wandi Nerida offers. That’s our private residential treatment facility in Queensland. The problem is that government funding doesn’t cover all the costs.
That’s why Katya is on a mission. Because the amount of people becoming revolving door patients’ needs to stop and we can do this by helping those in need access personalised treatment at Wandi Nerida.
What do you think? Will you join Katya’s mission?
You’ll receive a confirmation email immediately after making an online donation and within the next week, we’ll send you a tax receipt either by post or email. If you’ve made a donation through the post, please allow some time for it to reach us, and we’ll send your tax receipt shortly after.
Yes! All donations $2 and above are tax-deductible in Australia.
Your donation will be used to prevent eating disorders and negative body image, ensure the best treatments are available, and that appropriate care and support is there for those affected.
Unless specified, we’ll use your donation where it’s needed most at the time of receiving it. This could be for our education programs, which aim to prevent eating disorders and body image concerns. It could be ensuring we have trained professionals to take urgent calls on our National Helpline, or ensuring our peer workers are trained to facilitate Support Groups. Your gift could also go towards Wandi Nerida, our residential treatment facility, or Next Steps, a program aimed to reduce the risk of relapse and supports long term recovery of patients who have just finished their residential or hospital treatment.
We currently accept credit cards and debit cards, Electronic Funds Transfer, and cheques – but please be mindful that banks are removing cheques soon! If you’d like our bank details to set up a direct debit from your account, please call us on 02 9412 4499.
Butterfly is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) with Item 1 status and is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and is a registered charity under the provisions of the Charitable Fundraising Act (NSW) 1991 – CF no. 18393. Donations $2 and above are tax deductible. Funds raised will be used to assist those experiencing eating disorders and negative body image issues. Your personal information is handled in accordance with our privacy policy and privacy collection statement. To update us with your communications preferences please contact our fundraising team on 03 9040 1591. ABN 42 102 193 582. Butterfly, PO Box 7026, Glen Iris VIC 3146.
Butterfly Helpline
Butterfly’s National Helpline is open 8am – midnight (AEST/AEDT), seven days a week, excluding national public holidays. We’re here for anyone, anywhere in Australia with information, resources, referrals, and support.
