Rewind 23 years. Its 1998 and the Spice Girls are
topping the charts. I was 8 years old and had seen Mulan several times at the
cinemas over the school holidays. I was outgoing, creative and adventurous. I adored school, playing sport and loved nothing more than spending time with my friends and family.
Despite my confident demeanour, I was incredibly sensitive and hard on myself behind closed doors. A textbook ‘perfectionist’ some might say.
It was these traits, combined with a series of big life changes and a lack of knowledge at the time about the early warning signs of an eating disorder that triggered the onset of a 15-year battle with anorexia.
Since the late nineties, much has changed in the
mental health awareness space but the taboo nature of eating disorders and
their seriousness remains. The number of people in Australia with an eating
disorder at any given time is estimated to be around 1 million, or
approximately 4% of the population (Deloitte Access Economics, 2015). They are
manipulative, debilitating and harmful mental illnesses that are becoming more and
more prevalent in younger children. Statistics show that eating disorders can
affect people of all ages but are increasingly being diagnosed in those aged 5
years and younger (NEDC, 2017). These figures were one of the main drivers
behind penning my very first children’s book, When Anna Came To Stay.
In 2017 I was very fortunate to be invited to
participate in a ‘Lived Experience – Story Telling’ workshop run by the Butterfly
Foundation. Butterfly were an integral part of my lengthy
road to recovery so getting the opportunity to work with them to develop my
story and share it with other families was very important to me.
As an actor and children’s entertainer who worked for the Starlight Children’s Foundation for several years, it felt fitting to tell my story from the voice of a child. When Anna Came To Stay explores the nature and emergence of eating disorders and the negative emotions that surround it. My protagonist, May, is a carefree girl before she begins heeding the advice of her imaginary friend Anna (anorexia) which soon turns her world upside down.
Brisbane based illustrator, Siobhan Skipworth has
done a remarkable job in bringing my words and the story of May to life. Her
powerful imagery and beautiful use of watercolours has helped convey the
emotional journey of May that is both relatable and easy to understand for a
younger audience. When Anna Came To Stay will give young readers and
their carers an insight into the complex thoughts and feelings associated with
negative body image and poor self-esteem. It will also give readers a glimpse
into the family dynamics involved when a young person experiences an eating
disorder and highlight the need for family members to be sensitive and prepared
to provide support during the healing process.
It took several years for my toxic habits and negative behaviours around food to develop into a life-threatening mental and physical illness, but the evolution was consistent and insidious. I often wonder what road my life may have taken; had I been introduced to a book like When Anna Came To Stay (and its themes) at an early age. Throughout the writing process, 8-year-old Maddy and the concept of developing a preventative tool for children, parents and educators was at the forefront of my mind.
I really hope that this text can be the catalyst for an open and honest conversation between young people and their guardians about the importance of talking about their feelings and asking for help when they don’t feel they can cope. If When Anna Came To Stay can help encourage even one child battling with negative body image to seek out the help and support they need, then at least some good would have come from my own struggles with ‘Anna’.
When Anna Came To Stay, is available in all good bookstores and is also available as an audio book.