Ever since seeing the skydiving scene in Point Break, I’ve wanted to skydive myself. Yes, admittedly, that was nearly 20 years ago. What can I say? I move slowly. Lauren Hutchinson, on the other hand, is moving quickly toward her date next month with a skydive from 10,000 feet — one she’s doing to raise money for an eating disorder charity that helped her overcome anorexia and bulimia.
Did I mention she has a fear of heights? Guess she’ll have to conquer that one pretty quickly.
The 17-year-old Hutchinson, who lives in Gatley, England, told the Manchester Evening News that in her early teens, she was getting by eating just 200 calories a day. Why? The pressures of being a teenage girl. As she was quoted, “I went to an all girls school, and from the age of about 11, I felt very under pressure, which any teenage girl will understand, to look a certain way.”
But now, she’s completely recovered with the help of a group called beat, a UK charity that’s spent the past two decades assisting people (and their families) with eating disorders. As a way to thank them, Hutchinson has set up a fundraising page on JustGiving for the charity in advance of her jump on Oct. 23.
The organization is appreciative of Hutchinson’s inspired way of giving back. According to Mary George, beat’s press officer, “Beat is delighted and impressed that Lauren has chosen to support our work in such a challenging fashion! There is still so much misunderstanding around these illnesses and Lauren’s determination to raise awareness in this way will help get the message out there that eating disorders can be beaten.” And for Hutchinson, skydiving is just the start. “Every year I want to help beat by doing something I am afraid of.”
Sounds to me like helping two worthwhile causes in one fell swoop. What’s the biggest fear you’d like to face? Let us know, and might I suggest using Hutchinson’s story as motivation to overpower it?
Check out advocate, author, model, mother Emme‘s profile to learn more about eating disorders and how you can get involved.
Photo by thegarlands via Flickr.