Kate's Ultimate Makeover
By Kate Cooper
After moving to high school Kate Cooper started to become conscious of her physical appearance and what she thought her peers thought of her – this led down a spiral of starving herself and then progressed to bulimia and self harm. Find out what drastic decision she had to make to ensure it didn’t carry on into adulthood.
Duration Time: 4 minutes
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CLICK HERE to see Kate's story as written in the Sheffield Star Newspaper in June 2008
Kate's Story...
From being young, my mum took me to church with my brother, but when I moved to high school the kids caught on that my dad was a teacher. The older kids started making comments about it and the more I realized that people were watching me the more conscious of my appearance I became. I thought that if I could look younger and prettier then the boys would like me and I would have more friends.
I started cutting out the butter on my toast and throwing my lunch in the school bin. My parents noticed that I was losing weight. One day when I was 15 I was stood in the kitchen, feeling really hungry I opened the fridge and the cupboards and just started to eat. It felt great for a moment but then I felt bad that I was eating so uncontrollably. The only thing I could think to do to undo it was to throw the food up in the bathroom. It seemed perfect. For a little while I felt full and then I could get rid of it before it was digested and I could put any weight on. But it didn’t take away the hurt and the feelings of low self worth away. So I started cutting myself to relieve the stress. It became a vicious cycle. I had to change.
I went along to a Christian event and the minister said that they thought there was someone in the room who was struggling with self harm and bulimia. I knew they were talking about me and I burst into tears. For the first time I felt aware that God knew me and where I was at and he cared.
When I moved to university I knew I had a choice and a chance for a fresh start. I became part of Hope City Church and haven’t looked back since. God is always there for me and he loves me through everything that I go through. I’ve finally discovered that my future is too important for me to keep doing what I was doing. God has healed my emotional pain as well as my physical habits.
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Energetic, full of fun and ever up for some mischief, Kate Cooper is one of Sheffield Hallam University's promising students. She is also a part of the Hope City Band and loves giving life full welly!