Ali Valenzuela's book ' Weighing it Up' hits the shops

Here is a link if you want to buy the book that Ali Valenzuela has written 'Weighing it Up' on her thoughts and feelings living with anorexia. Ali has been part of the cross party group on eating disorders since its inception, and I will definitely be getting a copy. She was key in inspiring me to set up the group in the first place as she approached me as her AM to help raise awareness of the struggle that she faced in finding treatment in the Swansea area.

She also has an article on her experiences in Now! magazine this month. I hope that such magazines will take responsibility all year round for the images that they show on their pages....

Pictures from the True Beauty event/ LLuniau o'r digwyddiad Gwir Harddwch

Here are some of the pictures from the True Beauty event. All the rest are on my flickr page. It was a superb evening, and thank you to all who attended. Congratulations to all those who took part in the competition also, and to Nigel Owens for speaking about his struggle with bulimia.

I'll try and update this blog when events arise in relation to eating disorders in Wales and elsewhere.

Bethanx

Dyma cwpwl o luniau o'r digwyddiad Gwir Harddwch. Mae'r gweddill ar fy nhudalen flickr. Roedd y noson yn wych, a diolch i bawb a ddaeth. Llongyfarchiadau i'r rheiny a wnaeth cymryd rhan yn y gystadleuaeth, yn ogystal a Nigel Owens am siarad mor agored am ei brwydr gyda bwlimia.

Byddai'n trio diweddaru'r blog pan fydd digwyddiadau yn ymwneud ag anhwylderau bwyta yn cael ei drefnu yng Nghymru.

Bethanx

The week has arrived/ Mae'r wythnos wedi cyrraedd!

This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. No doubt there will be events World over to mark the week, and we will be doing our bit in Wales also. On Wednesday I have organised to display the top 20 pictures from the True Beauty competition at the Senedd, and at 6pm we will hold a reception at the Senedd, where the winners will be announced, and where Edwina Hart the Health Minister will speak alongside Nigel Owens the International Rugby Referee. I'm really looking forward to it, and I hope it will be a successful event.

I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has helped make the cross party group on eating disorders a success over the year that we have been in existence. I certainly believe that it has made a difference in campaigning for more provision for the treatment of eating disorders, and for a national strategy to be implemented. We know that to be true because Edwina Hart AM announced financial investment for community provision last year, and a consultation on a framework came to an end on January the 30th 2009. With the establishment of B-eat Cymru this year, the services and support for those with eating disorders and their carers can only progress.

It is of course still vitally important that the cross party group continues the campaign despite these achievements, as many people are still falling out of the loop, are still failing to receive the treatment they need, and are not being supported as sufferers and carers. When I wrote the cross party group's response to the consultation on a National framework, I was brought to tears by some of the stories behind the illnesses of loved ones who have died as a result of an eating disorder; those who still struggle to get treatment, and carers who feel that they have nowhere to go. This cannot be right, and must be changed, and I am determined that the cross party group, in working with the All Wales Special Interest Group on Eating Disorders and B-eat Cymru amongst other groups can change this situation for the better.

Setting up the cross party group is the most rewarding thing that I have done so far as an AM, as it has been so inspiring getting people involved, and enocouraging people to work for a national strategy and for funding for eating disorders in Wales. It provides a central point for discussion for AMs and other interest groups alike, and I hope that we will continue the hard work in years to come with your vital input.

Bethan Jenkins AM
Chair Cross party Group on Eating Disorders

Poem by Ali Valenzuela

was lost and alone, didn’t know who to be,
and felt like an outcast, unaccepted for me.
When I needed a friend; a voice to console,
I heard a small whisper: “You’re not on your own.
I’ve seen you around and you’re needing a friend,
and I promise to be there right until the end.”
I jumped at the offer of close company,
but little did I realise quite how close it’d be.
I felt proud to decline food-it showed me my strength
To say no to the things I would want at great length.
I felt so in control and my confidence soared,
what with all of the exercise, I was never bored.
People said “what willpower it takes to do this!”
but little did they know it came with a twist
I was hungry and needed to eat a good meal
But the voice would get louder and started to squeal:
“what the HELL are you doing, you fat, dirty BITCH?!
We’ve got you SO far, now you shovel down THIS?!
It doesn’t make sense to delay your progress!”
But by this point, I only began to obsess
about every morsel that passed my lips
Added shame and disgust to the top of my list.
Temptation’s no match for this beast that’s inside
that slowly consumed me- I had nowhere to hide.
It was eating me up, and rotting my soul-
If it were to continue, it’d swallow me whole.
My clothes wouldn’t fit and my body was frail,
but no matter my state I couldn’t possibly fail
The anorexic voice that drowned out the lot
of my terrified family, begging me to stop.
Who crept into my room in the dead of the night
To see if their daughter was still breathing alright.
People gasped at my bones that protruded my skin,
pointing with horror at ‘the girl that’s so thin!’
I was ashamed and afraid, so much internal pain,
I thought i would never become me again
It was the worst nightmare i could possibly know
as even when I woke up, it was there in full flow.
At a rock bottom where I could have easily died
Finally, hospital help had arrived!It took all away control of anorexia’s ways
and slowly but surely I started to change
My passion for life started to get on track
I can’t tell you how good it feels to be back!
With recovery started, I learnt to control
The anorexic voice, and listen to my own.
But I still live in terror of the voice I followed,
Dragging me back to it’s world of sorrow
So I’m sharing my story of horror and pain
to prevent this from happening to anyone againI
can never repay those who supported me through
the hardest time of my life- all i say is Thankyou.

* Ali Valenzuela's new book 'Weighing It Up' will be available from the 1st of March 2009.

Mrtin Staniforth - Dove Self-Esteem Fund

I help run the Dove Self-Esteem Fund for Dove. It’s a really inspiring role. We’ve discovered that so many young people hold back in life because they aren’t comfortable with how they look. This is such a crushing waste of talent! To help offset this, I help create a whole series of workshops, activities and education materials so that young people can feel more confident about the way they look, and then spend more time living their lives to the full. We’ve sent packs out to schools, developed materials with GirlGuiding UK and created fun online activities that you can find at www.dove.co.uk/#/cfrb/selfesteem

So far in the UK, at least 438,000 young people have used these resources. And, globally, the figure is over 3 million. It’s our vision that no young person should leave education feeling that they can’t participate fully in life because of the way that they think they look. And we are joined in this wish by young people, parents and celebrities. Take a look at the online tools and spread the word!