Local Author Shares Anorexia Story

When Melinda Hutchings survived anorexia in her teenage years, she knew there would come a day when she would be able to share her story and help others through their own journeys.

It took her a decade to reach a place where she felt ready, but once she arrived at that moment, she was able to write her first novel in just six months and describes it as a complete outpouring of her heart and a “cathartic” experience.

“Anorexia is an insidious disorder and once it takes hold it’s very difficult to understand, and even more difficult to recover from. It is also hard for the people around you. It can be very difficult for loved ones to understand what I was going through,” said Melinda.

“Creating my first book was a very emotional experience and I would feel all those emotions again when I was writing it, so it was very hard. But then writing was another sense of letting go.”

Her novel Fighting for Life: Anorexia The Road to Recovery which came out in 2000, is a fictional story that details Melinda’s journey but is written in the third person so that it is more relatable.

“I had a desire to change my negative experience into something positive and write my story as a work of fiction so that other people can read it and something in the journey of the main character may speak to them,” Melinda explains.

“I thought it would have more power and help more people if it was written that way.”

The book details the full journey of how the eating disorder took hold, the depths of the pain and then gives tools and advice for recovery and finding a way out.

Since its release, the book has inspired thousands of people and helped countless families understand what their loved ones are going through.

For Melinda, that is the most important part, and she recounts with tears in her eyes how she received one email that said: “I am well on the way to recovery and one of the reasons is you”.

After the success of her first book, Melinda released her second which was a compilation of stories from people who had lived through eating disorders.

Shortly afterwards, Melinda joined the authors circuit and spoke to large audiences, helping people understand more about the disease.

During this time, she made media appearances and became an inspiration to many.

In 2009 Melinda published Why I Can’t Look The Way I Want through Allen & Unwin which further cemented her career as a successful author.

Taking a break from the spotlight, she has focused on other projects for some time and recently moved from Sydney to the Whitsundays with her partner.

Melinda is now working on her next non-fiction book which is an inspirational story to help people embrace change and overcome adversity.

She is also ghost writing and editing a non-fiction book that has the potential to become an international best seller.

“For the person that is suffering right now, it is really important that they feel supported and loved and especially heard,” said Melinda.

“It can be very challenging for the people around you, but it is important that they just keep being supportive because that person needs you so much – it’s a difficult journey to understand and everyone’s journey is different - as hard as it is, just keep being there.”

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Author Melinda Hutchings shares her story of surviving anorexia