From Surviving to Living

In Year 8, I was a very sick little girl.

What started as small thoughts about food and control slowly became something much louder, something that took over my world. By Year 8, I was diagnosed with anorexia. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what that meant — I just knew I felt trapped inside my own mind.

The years that followed were some of the hardest of my life. I was hospitalised more times than I can count, across different hospitals in Sydney. Each admission felt like starting over. Each discharge felt terrifying. There were moments I didn’t think I would make it to Year 12. Moments when the illness was louder than my own voice.

But here I am.

Now in Year 12, turning 18 soon, I am on the road to full recovery. And I am so proud of myself for how far I’ve made it. Recovery hasn’t been linear. It hasn’t been easy. It hasn’t been quick. But it has been worth it.

I’ve learned that recovery doesn’t magically happen because someone tells you to get better. It begins when you decide — even in the smallest way — that you deserve more than just surviving. People can support you, sit beside you, fight for you… but the turning point comes from within. From choosing, over and over again, to stay.

I am passionate about the powerful work done by the Butterfly Foundation, advocating for better treatment for eating disorders in Australia. I’ve also created a GoFundMe to help improve access to care, because too many young people don’t get the support they need. Some don’t make it out alive — and that reality is why I speak up. Treatment needs to be accessible, early, and compassionate.

If you’re struggling right now, please hear this:

You are not weak for fighting something ‘invisible’.
You are not dramatic for needing help.
And you are not too far gone to recover.

It truly does get better — but it starts with choosing to believe that you are worth saving.

One quote that carried me through my darkest days was:

“Recovery isn’t about becoming who you were before. It’s about becoming who you were always meant to be.”

I was once a very sick little girl.

Now, I am becoming a strong, resilient young woman.

And if I can make it here — so can you.