IN POLE POSITION
Anorexic 5st woman claims pole dancing saved her life after disease saw her eat just ONE packet of crisps a day
Amber Harkin battled eating disorders for 11 years - but now she's now overcome anorexia
AN anorexic woman who was on the brink of death after living on just ONE packet of crisps a day says pole dancing saved her life.
Doctors told Amber Harkin's devastated parents she was "beyond recovery" and "wasn't going to make it" as her weight plummeted to just five stone last year.
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The now 26-year-old's battle with eating disorders had begun 11 years earlier, when Amber was 14, but she was only diagnosed with anorexia in 2014.
Despite two years of psychological treatment Amber's condition worsened, meaning her dad had to carry her at her uncle's funeral - because she was too weak to walk.
Amber, from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was wearing clothes designed for children aged 12 to 13, but everything changed when she saw a Facebook advert for pole dancing classes - which were coincidentally taught by a cognitive behaviour therapist.
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Amber said: "Pole dancing means everything to me - I really believe that without it I wouldn't be alive.
"My first class was awful - I was really weak so I couldn't even lift myself, and I was too afraid to do any moves in front of the other people in the class.
"But then I met Karen Baldwin, an instructor who is also a qualified therapist, and she took me on for one-to-one lessons.
"She's has helped me be proud of myself for the first time, and perform not only in front of other pole dancing classes but also in shows.
"She has taught me how to take the focus off my issues with food and my weight, and focus instead on pole dancing.
"My body has definitely changed thanks to pole dancing, and it's taught me to challenge myself to keep getting better.
"I love pole dancing so much - I couldn't live without it."
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For the first time in years, Amber found herself motivated to get better so she could lift herself and complete the complex pole dancing moves.
She now eats up to three meals a day and is a healthier size six, although Amber has had to battle inner demons to get bigger and stronger.
Amber had always been slim, but started throwing away her lunches and losing weight in her late teens.
Her mum Theresa Harkin, 56, noticed that Amber had cut back on food - but she was still eating, albeit small amounts, at home.
It was only when she refused to eat for an entire week, at the age of 22, that Theresa sought medical help.
Three years on, Amber still doesn't know what triggered her anorexia.
In May 2014, the day before her 23rd birthday, she was admitted to the Old Bridge House psychological clinic.
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At her worst, Amber's plummeting weight meant her kidneys began to fail - and she had a burning rash, called eczema craquele, caused by the lack of nutrients in her body.
In March 2015, Amber was admitted to hospital - and fed through a tube - for several months.
Amber added: "During that time my uncle passed away and I wasn't even able to walk at his funeral - my dad had to actually carry me to lay flowers at my uncle's grave.
"It was the worst time of my life."
Amber was discharged from Old Bridge House in May 2016, showing no signs of improvement, and it was then that doctors told her parents she was beyond recovery.
She said: "I still wasn't eating and I couldn't even move, so the doctors said they couldn't do anything and they told my family I wasn't going to make it.
"I remember crying in my bedroom thinking that this was it, I wasn't going to make it - it was the scariest time of my life."
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But then she spotted an ad for Pole Infinity and Beyond - and tutor Karen has been working with Amber as both a therapist and pole dancing instructor for 14 months.
Amber goes to pole dancing classes twice a week, and stretches every night on the pole in her bedroom.
She and Karen have also been working together to develop a recovery programme for people with eating disorders, combining therapy and pole dancing.
Proud Amber said: "I didn't have anything like that to turn to when I was at my worst, so I want to share my own story so people can be inspired and see what they can do when they change their focus.
"I still struggle a lot to do normal things, like go out and socialise with people or even eat solid foods - I still get my nutrients from supplement drinks.
"But it's my goal for this year to be able eat solid foods again.
"My dream is to become a professional pole dancer, so I'm trying really hard to keep getting better, and I'm feeling optimistic about my recovery."
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