Family aiming to raise £40,000 to help Portsmouth woman battling anorexia

Sarah Hill is organising a series of fundraisers to get the cash for her daughter Amy Muirhead to get private care for her illness.

Amy, 27, from Southsea, has been battling anorexia for the past 10 years and Sarah said she needs more help than the NHS can offer.

She and husband Steve say they need a health care plan that is personalised to Amy’s complex physical and mental needs.

Sarah, from Durley, near Bishop’s Waltham, said: ‘Anorexia is a silent killer, which is stripping our daughter of the ability to live any resemblance of life as we know it.

‘Amy went from being a funny, vibrant girl to one who has to spend long periods in hospital and being tube-fed.

‘She lived in Portsmouth and went to university in Bristol but now she’s being cared for by us at our home.

‘Having exhausted all NHS options we need to raise at least £40,000 to provide her with a lengthy stay in a private facility to give her a real chance of recovery.

‘But we can’t do it alone.

‘We desperately need a healthcare plan that is personalised to Amy’s complex needs, both physically and mentally.

‘Quotes gathered so far for private facilities require up to £700 to 800 per day.

‘This is a considerable sum and our decision to go down this route is testament to the desperation that we feel.

‘We know and have been advised that Amy will need a lengthy stay in order to begin to have a chance at recovery,’ added Sarah.

So far, thanks to generous donations from family, friends and people in the area, Sarah has raised more than £6,000 towards the care.

Residents of Bishop’s Waltham raised £550 by buying cakes from a sale and a pub gave £500 when it heard the story.

A music evening is being held this weekend in the town to boost donations.

Time Warp are performing at the gig at Jubilee Hall on Saturday, at 7.30pm.

There will be a raffle with prizes including an iPad, coffee machine, gold ring, hairdressing vouchers, visits to Birdworld and Longdown Activity Farm, swims at The Pyramids and sessions at Flip Out.

Sarah said she is grateful to everyone who has donated so far and has been amazed at the generosity.

‘We have raised nearly £4,000 online and we have more than £2,000 in a bank account for Amy,’ she added.

‘To raise that much in a number of weeks is incredible.

‘Where I am a child minder in 
Bishop’s Waltham, people know who I am so I was a little bit apprehensive about telling people what Amy was going through.

‘We are quite a private family and not many people knew about Amy or if they did, they assumed she had recovered from the anorexia.

‘But people have been really supportive.

‘We know anorexia is not a choice or a lifestyle. Neither is it Amy’s fault. We are immensely proud Amy has fought for so long.

‘She is struggling every hour of every day. We need others to help her to keep on battling for life.’

To make a donation visit gofundme.com/xjnuu-saving-amy.