Shared Eating Disorder Experiences
In late 2015, a group of parents met at an eating disorders conference, and began to meet regularly to talk about their shared experiences of caring for a loved one with an eating disorder.
They found the loneliness, fear and doubt overwhelming, and lack of eating disorder help, access to support and resources about eating disorders and treatment limited.
There was very little eating disorder help in Australia for parents and carers, but having found solace in each other and realising the benefits of connecting with others who personally understood the journey, it became clear an organisation like this was desperately needed here in Australia.
The only way they could enable the support for families that they had longed for in their own journeys was to create an organisation themselves.
And so EDFA (Eating Disorders Families Australia) was born.
EDFA is launched!
In July 2016, the parents celebrated the registration of Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA) as an Australian Public Company Limited by Guarantee.
This was followed by registration with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), the Australian Tax Office and the attainment of the Deductable Gift Registration.
This original group of parents became the inaugural Board of EDFA.
As a national organisation, EDFA is the only group with the sole focus of supporting families and carers of people with eating disorders.
We thank you for your support as we pursue our vision and mission of:
Vision
“Families and carers impacted by an eating disorder are supported, educated and empowered.”
Mission
“To enable families and carers to be more effective supports and recognised as an integral part of the recovery process for a loved one with an eating disorder.”
Watch this video to discover why an organisation like ours is so desperately needed.
What it's like to live with an eating disorder...
“It’s 11pm. Mum and Dad have been pleading with me to eat my dinner for the past three hours. They’ve had to cancel dinner with their friends yet again. Their friends don’t understand why this keeps happening, they don’t understand why I can’t 'just eat'. They visit the doctor who tells them they should be doing more. That I, their child, is just being difficult. That it’s 'normal for teenage girls to want to lose weight.' Mum and Dad know better. They know their daughter best. They know I am sick. Even while I scream hate at them (the voice in my head has overruled the kind-hearted daughter they used to know), they know it’s not really me speaking, but it still hits them like a train. They’ve become increasingly isolated from their family and friends who are unable to truly understand. They go to bed feeling defeated and exhausted, wanting nothing more than for someone to actually 'get it'. For someone to tell them they are not alone, that this isn’t their fault. That they can get me, their daughter, back. But that support is hard to find, almost impossible. This has become reality for Mum and Dad. This is the reality of caring for someone with an eating disorder.”
