Testimonies & Stories

Emma’s Story

When I was younger I had no idea about what it meant to be healthy. Like most children I was reliant on the adults in my world to make decisions for me such as when I cleaned my teeth, what time I went to bed and what I ate. I was shy as a child so didn’t go out very much to play but I loved school, well that was up to the point when the bullying started round about the age of six. I didn’t particularly feel any different to the others kids in my class but I was called ‘fatty’ and I also wore glasses which didn’t help. My mum took me to the doctors to get help, but they said that it was puppy fat and that I’d grow out of it. The first picture is me aged six. Even I can see that I was bigger than the average child, but we trusted the doctors and I waited to ‘grow out’ of my ‘puppy fat’. Needless to see I didn’t, but I grew into an overweight teenage, who was obese at the age of fifteen weighing almost thirteen stones. My weight had a significant affect on my lifestyle. I had no confidence and had low self esteem. After years of being told I was worthless and no good I had actually learnt to believe it. I had very few friends and never went out. I watched TV and played on my computer games. I hated P.E at schools because I was never picked in teams. I couldn’t run very fast because I got breathless, so I became good at making excuses, even though I really enjoyed sports I couldn’t stand the teasing from my peers.

My life was pretty miserable and I was unhappy with the way I looked. I felt as if no-one understood and things got so bad I wanted to kill myself. School then put me in touch with Kath who ran the SHINE programme. This was a healthy lifestyle course that not only helped me to lose weight, but also to help me understand about healthy eating and exercise. I made lots of friends on this course because we were all in the same situation. I lost 3 and a half stone and reached my goal weight of 9st 7 lbs within the first year and I have maintained this weight ever since. I have stayed on at SHINE to help others because I know what it is like to be different. I am now a sports facilitator and I help to co-ordinate the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, after successfully achieving my bronze and silver grades, not bad for someone who couldn’t even walk without feeling breathless. Sadly there are not many programmes like SHINE around. We need to reach more young people like me before it is too late for them. We need to give overweight young people a decent start in life. All they need is the chance to make changes that will lead to a healthier adult life. SHINE can help.

Testimonies

‘My name is Daniel Burkhill and I joined SHINE because I was really overweight. When I was nineteen stone and a half I was really poor at sports. When I was at school I got bullied everyday of the week so I stopped going to school for 4 years. Then I thought that I would be bullied because they had not seen me for a long time. They were being nice to me but when I went outside they were hitting me and calling me names. Then SHINE came round the corner. I went there and I have lost six stone. I made a lot of good friends. I have never been so happy in my life. When I was nineteen and a half stone I could not run and could not walk properly but since coming to Shine my life has changed. My mum and dad have also joined Shine. They have done very well and I am very proud of them. Shine is the best place in the world. THANK YOU SO MUCH.’

Daniel Burkhill (aged 14 years)

‘Before I started Shine I was picked on and I couldn’t sleep because I was scared as I felt I was falling out of my bed, so I was losing sleep over it. I was crying because I was fat and my mum and dad felt sorry for me. I wanted to be on a programme where I mixed with other people so next day I went to school and I went to see a teacher and told her that I wanted to start Shine and my teacher said she would contact Kath. It was all my idea and when I first started I was so nervous. And now I have been on Shine I have built my confidence up and I now don’t feel like I am falling out of bed. I am doing really well on Shine’.

Stacey Hanson (aged 14 years)