Georgia was our smart, talented, amazingly beautiful daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece, a cousin, a best friend and a friend to many.

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She brightened a room with her beautiful smile which unfortunately was her brave face that she put on every day for over half her life as she battled anorexia, depression &  anxiety. While we knew she was struggling at times we had no idea of how bad and horrible it had become for G and eventually it became too much for her to bear and on the 23rd January 2024 our world collapsed forever when Georgia lost her long and courageous battle with mental illness.

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Her battle with anxiety started in about 2012, and then in 2014, when at just 14 years old, Georgia became seriously unwell with anorexia. By the time she was admitted to hospital, her organs were shutting down. That two-week hospital stay was only the beginning of a long and painful fight against a relentless illness. Over the years, Georgia battled not only anorexia, but also anxiety, body dysmorphia, restricted eating, over-exercising and depression.

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Despite these challenges, Georgia was a high achiever in every sense. She excelled at school, was a gifted athlete, and shone on the hockey and touch rugby fields. But she was also her own harshest critic. Where others saw brilliance, she saw flaws. Her perfectionism was both her driving force and her greatest burden.

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After school, Georgia pursued her passion for health and wellbeing, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Physiology from Otago University. Her time there was filled with both struggles and joy; she made wonderful friends who stood by her through the highs and lows. She later went on to study Dietetics at Auckland University, a time that proved especially difficult due to its isolating nature with lectures being held online due to Covid and her ongoing health issues.

 

In mid-2023, Georgia seemed to be in a good place. She was smiling and laughing more. But she made the decision to stop taking her antidepressants, and from there, things began to unravel. Looking back, the signs were there but when you’re in the thick of it, it all feels like part of everyday life.

 

We battle every day trying to live without G in our lives, and we struggle to find the wordsthat truly reflect how we feel about our loss - sadness, despair, loneliness, the nightmare that doesn’t go away, the hopelessness, the senselessness. The wanting of one more chance to say “we understand, we will try harder, we will get you through this, we love you”, the wanting of one more cuddle, to see her smile, to hear her laugh, the family dinner, one more Dad and G run, one more shopping excursion for mum and daughter, one more sister session of grabbing a coffee or getting nails done and the toughest of all, having to face the rest of our lives without this beautiful person being part of it, that we love so much, that we miss, that we ache for every day and every night – it hurts, it’s lonely, it’s relentless and devastating, it is overwhelming and the silence she leaves behind is deafening …. it’s not fair, it’s hard, it’s really, really hard. We love you and miss you so much G.

 

Our whole family, from Grandma, uncles, aunties, cousins, mum, dad, sister, best friends, lots of friends, fellow students, work mates, school friends, varsity friends carry a heavy burden and we wouldn’t wish this to happen to anyone else.

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So we share her story in the hope that it might help others. That it might remind someone struggling that they are not alone, that people do care, that they do love you and to please keep fighting – you are worth it. That it might encourage a family to keep asking, keep listening, keep hoping.

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So if you can donate please do, our daughter and sister was truly an angel and someone who shouldn’t have to have struggled as she did, and if nothing else we don’t want to see any other family or friend have to go through what we live with every day. Life shouldn’t be this hard when you are surrounded by so many good people – please help the next G that needs our unconditional love, support and help and help support the amazing I Am Hope Team do the great work they do and that needs to be done.  Georgia’s story is a reminder of how vital that support is—and how urgent the need remains.

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Thank you, take care, keep smiling and with all our love.

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Pat, Liz, Court and G in heaven.