London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Anorexia: Woman fears she may die without specialist treatment

Anorexia: Woman fears she may die without specialist treatment

A woman from north Wales with anorexia has said she believes she will die without specialist treatment which is only available privately in England.

Amy Ellis from Broughton, Flintshire, is trying to raise thousands of pounds to fund the treatment after being told it would not be paid for by the NHS.

She is now cared for by her mum and needs mobility aids to get around.

The Welsh government said every health board had received funding to improve eating disorder services.

Former charity worker Amy, 42, was diagnosed with a form of anorexia four years ago when her weight plummeted, and now has to use a wheelchair or walking stick to get around.

The care Amy wants offers a combination of treatments, including cognitive behavioural therapy, and dialectical therapy, as well as dietic and body image support.

There is no specialist eating disorder unit in Wales, and the care offered in England is residential and private, costing about £7,500 a week.

The private care Amy wants is not available in Wales and costs approximately £7,500


"Where I am... I am at that dying point now," she said.

"If I don't have help, I am going to die, that's where this brings you to if you don't have help.


'Not sick enough'


"I want to survive this, I deserve to live, surely I matter, everybody deserves to live.

"I have been with the NHS for 20 years, they could offer no help, because there is no help."

Amy said she believed NHS Wales had funded others in her situation to get the private treatment, but said she was told she was "not sick enough" and that she has a care plan which is helping her locally.

Amy's mum Lyn says photographs of how she used to be, she was "so beautiful", "such a pretty girl", and "so full of life"


However, Amy's mum Lyn Ellis said there was no one who could help her daughter.


'It breaks my heart'


"It's very frustrating, someone with a different illness is given the treatment they need, for people with eating disorders, they either put them in psychiatric unit or put them on a drip to feed them, and then off you go.. it's not enough," she said.

"It breaks my heart to hear her (Amy) in the toilet crying, I don't want to do this anymore, she knows it's straining her heart and that alone could take her," she said.

The Welsh government recently said since 2017, health boards had received an additional £4.1m to support improvements such as early intervention and improved waiting times.

It added: "Improving support for eating disorders is a priority for Welsh government and as part of the additional £50m to improve mental health and well-being in 2022/23, we are providing an additional £2.5m for eating disorder services."

Prof Alberto Salmoiraghi from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said it was unable to comment on Amy's treatment because of patient confidentiality, but said it intended to get in touch with her to discuss her concerns.

Prof Salmoiraghi, medical director for mental health & learning disabilities, said: "We share Amy's desire to ensure that she receives the most appropriate care.

"Our specialist adult eating disorder service provides highly specialist interventions and treatment for moderate to severe eating disorders, these treatments are compliant with NICE guidelines.

"Each patient is provided with a comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment and treatment plan based on their unique presentation and difficulties, this can include referral to specialist providers outside of north Wales where clinically appropriate."

Amy says her dream is to get well


Amy, who is documenting her struggle with daily videos on TikTok, where she has about 25,000 followers, said she felt a huge responsibility to them.

"It's unbelievable, all the support from around the world, from sufferers, and from people that just didn't understand that this isn't a life choice.

"What's been hard for me is seeing the amount of people, not just from Wales, but the whole of the UK, going through what I'm going through, with no help," she said.

She said her dream was to get well so she could bring eating disorders to the forefront and help others.

Her childhood friend, Simon Quick, who has run half marathons to raise money for Amy's treatment and helps her run the Saving Amy Cymru campaign, said it was hard to see her struggle with the illness.

"It seems like one of the worst diseases anyone can have, she's down, depressed, in a lot of pain - we just want her to get better."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
×