"Being too ill to have any physical contact with my two-year-old daughter is soul destroying:" Ex Peterborough Telegraph journalist 'begs' NHS trust to allow life changing treatment for anorexia

A former Peterborough Telegraph journalist suffering an agonising battle with anorexia is begging a local NHS trust to stop blocking potentially life-changing – and life saving – treatment.

Dad of one Joel Lamy (33) has a BMI of 13 and has been told by medical professionals his life is at risk as he battles his weight loss.

Too ill to pick up his young daughter

His weight has now plummeted to 6 stone 5, and he is too ill to work or even pick up or play with his young daughter – and his family is now fearing he might not survive the year.

However, he says that a referral to an NHS trust in London is being blocked by an eating disorder team, run by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) and based at Addenbrooke's Hospital

In response, Joel and his family have now started a petition urging the team to reconsider its decision: https://www.change.org/p/stop-blocking-my-urgent-nhs-referral-for-an-eating-disorder.

Joel – who worked for the Peterborough Telegraph for a number of years as a senior reporter and who now lives in Whittlesey – has complex health needs including severe IBS, a very low heart rate and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) - a complex illness which has left him struggling to walk and in severe daily pain.

He is desperate to get some respite after years of struggle and received some hope when he was referred to the Maudsley Hospital in London where they have a team of professionals who understand anorexia, IBS and FND.

But he said the referral has been blocked by the Adult Eating Disorder Service, which is run by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

“I love my family so much that I'm ready to confront this and believe I can fight back with the right professional support"

Anorexia is a severe mental illness which means Joel is scared of putting weight on. Even a tiny gain in weight can trigger suicidal thoughts which is why he requires strong psychological support to confront this.

Joel says that unless the Addenbrooke's based team allow him to get the treatment, the likelihood is his weight will continue to drop and his organs will suffer permanent damage.

He said: "Anorexia is probably the only condition where those suffering from it actually don't want to get better, because they would rather be thin and unhealthy than put on weight.

"But I love my family so much that I'm ready to confront this and believe I can fight back with the right professional support.

"Being too ill to have any physical contact with my two-year-old daughter is soul destroying. I'm just desperate to feel better and for us to feel like a family again."

"Seeing your husband deteriorate in front of your eyes is horrific"

Joel's wife and carer Naomi have been fighting to get the team to drop their opposition to the referral from his GP. Naomi said: "Joel is fighting so hard every day to battle his constant pain and to try and keep his weight up. But there's only so much he can do on his own.

"That's why we were so thrilled he was referred to the Maudsley as they might be able to help him, but now the entire family are in bits after learning that (the team based at) Addenbrooke's are fighting against us.

"Seeing your husband deteriorate in front of your eyes is horrific, especially when you know there are people out there who might be able to help him. We haven't got time to wait - every day is crucial.”

What is anorexia?

According to charity Beat Eating Disorders, Anorexia is a ‘serious mental illness that can cause individuals to limit how much they eat or drink. They may develop “rules” around what they feel they can and cannot eat, as well as things like when and where they’ll eat.’

While there is a stereotypical view that eating disorders may only affect young females, the charity said that Anorexia can affect anyone of any age, gender, ethnicity or background.

In some cases, anorexia nervosa can be characterized by low body weight, however you can never tell how unwell someone is by just considering their weight.

The charity said that there are more than one million people in the UK who are currently fighting eating disorders – including Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and other conditions.

“Any person with symptoms of an eating disorder – or who has previously received treatment for an eating disorder and has been discharged and wishes to re-engage with services – should contact their GP”

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust said: “We cannot comment on individual cases, but any person with symptoms of an eating disorder – or who has previously received treatment for an eating disorder and has been discharged and wishes to re-engage with services – should contact their GP.

“The GP will then refer them to our specialist teams who will triage the referral, and an assessment of a person’s current condition will be carried out to determine whether they are eligible for treatment by local services.”

Anyone struggling with anorexia, or any eating disorder can contact the charity Beat by visiting: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/.