Sometimes you hear a piece of news which knocks you for six. During the last election campaign I had some fantastic help from some teenagers from the village of Worsted in North Norfolk, one of them being a young lady called Charlotte Robinson.Charlotte emailed me out of the blue last spring and asked if she could come and do work experience at 18 Doughty Street for a week this summer. We emailed back and forth and but I never heard back from her. I eventually found out why. She died from an eating disorder. She was only 18. What a terrible waste of a life. Her wonderful family were devastated.
This week, her mother has written an article on the family's experience for Beating Eating Disorders, a Norwich based charity.
It was the middle of August, and we were waiting for Charlotte’s A-level results – me, Charlotte’s dad and her little brother, William. Then the phone rang. It was her school. My heart was leaping as I answered it. Charlotte had been awarded four A grades – the results she had hoped for. On that day, I felt so proud that I was – and always will be – Charlotte’s Mum.Most people don't understand eating disorders. It's a bit like mental illness. People are embarrassed to talk about it. Charlotte's mother is very brave to have told her story. I blogged about Charlotte when I found out about her death last year, but someone suggested I shouldn't have in case her parents wouldn't approve. So I took the blogpost down, just in case. I now regret that I did because her parents clearly want others to learn from what happened to them and their family. I have now reposted it.
Charlotte was always a bright, determined and caring girl. She did excellently in school, and was active in organisations such as Young Farmers and Conservative Future. Her ambition was to attend Cambridge University. At weekends, Charlotte completed Duke of Edinburgh awards and even tried her hand at helicopter piloting. Whenever Charlotte had a spare minute, she always filled it with something exciting.
Throughout her second year of sixth form, Charlotte battled with a severe eating disorder. Suddenly, we watched our outgoing, strong-willed daughter taken over by this terrible disease.The illness took a hold of her.
She began over-exercising dangerously. We even got a worried phonecall from her gym. She started starving herself too. Sometimes she would go days without food. We tried our best to help Charlotte. We were always there for her, to listen to her and reassure her. But it wasn’t easy. The illness was determined to take our daughter from us. We never gave up.
I remember when we took Charlotte to the hospital, her dad had to pick her up and carry her up the stairs. My beautiful daughter was too weak to climb them herself. Inside, Charlotte was still strong. One day, as I sat next to her in the hospital, she promised me she would get better. Charlotte had gone so far in her life – and she refused to let an eating disorder stop her. But it did. On the 8th August, Charlotte died. Her eating disorder had severely weakened her immune system.
In the end, it was an unexpected bout of pneumonia which took her from us. Charlotte died with dignity. She spent her last moments together with her family – me, her dad and William. As she lay there, we comforted her and held her hand. Eventually, we had to let it go.
If you would like to make a donation to Beating Eating Disorders, click HERE.
10 comments:
Eating disorders are a real problem. I know many girls who have gone off the deep end diet wise because of the influence that supposed "role models" who are all size 0 have on them.
RIP Charlotte and well done to her family for having the courage to talk about it in order to help others.
An absolute crying shame. Will make small donation now.
Perhaps if that oaf Eric Pickles considered these organisations and the people they try and help before going for the cheap laugh people might be a bit more aware of the danger of eating disorders.
Bugger bugger bugger. There is an old saying about being too pretty to live. What is that old song Don McClean song - 'this world was never meant for someone as beautiful as you.
What awful news. Oliver James refers to this peer pressure in one of his recent books, and sadly it seems to affect girls even more than boys.
Tough break that - best to family. You got an intern policy bud? I can well understand how it'd be a good gig to give an unpaid lacky a bit of Westminster gibberish or is that what your job description is? - Whoa, how rude?
I remember you posting it the first time. It's the sort of thing you don't forget easily. Thanks for sharing that, Iain.
I notice that you haven't condemned Pickles for his John Prescott comments.
Time to say something?
An eating disorder IS an mental illness. Very sad story.
Dear Iain
It is good of Charlotte's family to have shared this with us
Seeong this may well save someone from losing their life to this sad condtion ... and this will I hope comfort this young lady's family
Alles Gute
Eating disorders ARE mental illnesses, and should be treated like any other mental illness. There was no surprise to see signs of control, grades, exercise, etc... it's an illusion and those suffering from eating disorders need to recognize it as such. The ultimate control is knowing when to let go.
i live near worstead and had seen charlotte around the village.
I would really like to say that my cousins life was practically saved by her, he came so close to death I cant even comprehend losing him. He was under the same docters practice and could of been him i am reading about now instead of charlotte. RIP charlotte
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