Anorexia sufferer who was close to death at 4st 7lbs reveals she was saved by an emotional letter from her ‘tough builder’ dad saying that seeing his ‘little girl so fragile was killing him’
- Becky Pates, now 21, became consumed by her weight after a school weigh-in
- By the age of 16 she dropped to 4 stone 7lbs leaving her close to heart failure
- Letter from her father Bruce, 59, said ‘seeing her fragile was killing him inside’
- Has now been in recovery for four years and is keen to highlight the illness
A woman whose anorexia was so severe that it left her close to death, has revealed that an emotional letter from her father saved her life.
Marketer Becky Pates, now 21, from St Neots, Cambridgeshire, became consumed by her weight after a school weigh-in aged 11 left her so anxious that her mother Terry, now 53, wrote in to ask her to be excused.
But it was too late, and the worry led to Becky cutting down her food intake before she stopped eating altogether in her teens, her weight plumetting to 4 stone 7lbs aged 16 – leaving her perilously close to heart failure.
But it was a letter from her builder dad Bruce, 59, that finally helped her see a life beyond the cruel disease.
Tradesman Bruce sent her the emotional note as she languished close to death in hospital – telling her how much he loved her and how it pained him to see his little girl so precariously thin.
Becky has now been in recovery for four years and is a normal weight for her height.
Marketer Becky Pates, now 21, whose anorexia was so severe that it left her close to death, has revealed that an emotional letter from her father saved her life
Becky cut down her food intake before she stopped eating altogether in her teens, plumetting to 4 stone 7lbs aged 16 – and perilously close to heart failure
Becky said: ‘Anorexia tore my family apart, there were so many arguments as they watched their little girl slowly killing herself.
‘I couldn’t bear how upset those close to me were. My parents were amazing, especially my dad who became my rock.
‘He’s always been strong, not showing many emotions, a tough builder.
‘When I first got ill he didn’t really understand but over time learnt more and more about what I was going through.
‘The letter said he knew I could get better and all he wanted was to see me happy again. ‘Seeing me so ill, fragile and nearly dying killed him inside.’
But it was a letter from her builder dad Bruce, 59, seen right, that finally helped her see a life beyond the cruel disease
After starving herself, Becky’s health became so bad that doctors warned her her heart could stop at any moment
Children are weighed in Reception and Year 6 as part of the National Child Measurement Programme, which the NHS uses to assess obesity levels.
But at Becky’s school the kids compared their results afterwards, which triggered severe anxiety in the then 11-year-old.
After starving herself, Becky’s health became so bad that doctors warned her her heart could stop at any moment.
But caring Bruce slept on her bedroom floor every night to make sure she was OK.
And when she was taken out of school due to her fragile state, Bruce came home from work every lunch and dinner time to try and cajole Becky into eating with her mum Terry.
When she was taken out of school due to her fragile state, Bruce came home from work every lunch and dinner time to try and cajole Becky into eating with her mum Terry
Tradesman Bruce sent her the emotional note as she languished close to death in hospital – telling her how much he loved her and how it pained him to see his little girl so precariously thin
He would then work late to make up the time he’d taken off.
When Becky’s weight finally hit an all-time low, he visited her every night, driving 45 minutes to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge where she stayed for six months.
She was so thin she wasn’t even allowed to get out of bed on her own to use the toilet.
As her illness worsened, her hair and even her eyelashes fell out and she would faint constantly.
Becky Pates with her mum Terry, 53, on holiday after recovering from her severe illness
Picture of Becky Pates as a child. At Becky’s school the kids compared their results afterwards, which triggered severe anxiety in the then 11-year-old
Alongside that she developed osteoporosis, was told she’d be permanently infertile and missed a year of school.
The GCSEs she did sit were done in her hospital bed and for months she had to use a wheelchair.
Speaking following her recovery, she said: ‘What I really want to highlight is the truth behind the slim, skinny figure.
‘So many people just see anorexia as a desire to be skinny, glamorous and not to eat.
‘However, there is nothing glamorous or good about it at all. The reality is a person starving themselves to the point where their body simply can’t function.
‘Seeing my parents cry had become the normal and I wasn’t just killing myself but killing them too.’
Picture of dad Becky’s dad Bruce Pates, 59, whose emotional letter pleading with her saved her life
Becky Pates, 21, of St Neot’s, Cambs, who began suffering from an eating disorder after a school weigh in at 11
Becky has now been in recovery for four years and is a normal weight for her height
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