Last week, I found myself in the hospital, a dire consequence of my life long battle with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)  which has progressed over the last three years. I was suffering from low phosphates, dehydration, and starvation ketosis. An urgent referral was sent to the local eating disorder team, outlining my grave condition. Despite the severity of my health, and being told that I would be assessed based on medical risk (which they told me was high) my plea for help was rejected on the grounds that they do not treat ARFID. 

It dawned upon me then, a painful realization: in our health system, I was unseen, unheard, and untreated, left to battle an invisible enemy alone. Me and my family are terrified of what my future now looks like. I am currently bedbound due to extreme weakness and in need of medical monitoring. The stark reality is that the UK's Eating Disorder Services are unequipped to deal with any disorders beyond anorexia and bulimia, leaving 60,000 people (5% of the 1.2 million individuals suffering from eating disorders) battling ARFID unsupported. 

This is a call to change. We demand that the Eating Disorder Services be inclusive of ARFID - as should be the basic human right of anyone suffering. Based on information from the NHS, approximately 60,000 people are falling through the cracks in the system. These individuals deserve equal rights to treatment and the chance to recover from this life-threatening disorder. This is our plea. Include ARFID in the remit of Eating Disorder Services. Please sign the petition now, and help me and others across the country receive the treatment we need. Help bring us closer to a healthcare system that sees and supports all.