Hi my name is Hunter as many of you know I have been living with an eating disorder all my life. I had a traumatic experience as a baby with choking which caused anxiety and trauma around food. I was misdiagnosed with neophobia and have now been diagnosed with ARFID (avoidant restricted food intake disorder) i have Pica and Autism so it can become very overwhelming for me on the sensory side and I become really distressed and dis-regulated when it comes to food.

Hi I’m Samantha, Hunters mum. After years of trying to get help for Hunters ARFID we have now been told we will have to go private due to the lack of services and funding in our area. Hunter is 7years old and is living on just Strawberry milkshake and has not eaten for almost 6 years of his life he is showing no improvement because the services aren’t in place. He needs a lot of support and help from specialists. Hunter had a paediatrician/ dietitian and a clinical psychologist involved for several years but following his Autism diagnosis last year he was discharged due to the sensory issues. This has made things so much worse and has had a significant impact on his mental health. He was only given 7 sessions of food exploring but unfortunately has not received any other treatment options. This also has had a massive effect on me and our family not knowing what to do or who to turn to for help.

Hunter will be having his first private assessment on the 19th April with a councillor and physiotherapist where they can establish a suitable plan to support his needs. This could include ongoing therapeutic support. He will also need a specialist paediatrician, a phycologist and an occupational therapist. Hunter will need regular sessions. So I’m asking for all the help we can possibly get to help support the costs of Hunters treatments and traveling, all the money raised will specifically go towards hunters needs with ARFID and going private.