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Anorexic woman in Comox hospital in poor health

A Comox woman struggling with anorexia was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital last week.

A Comox woman struggling with anorexia was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital last week after reaching a point where she could no longer tend to basic needs.

With the help of tube feeding, Amber Foster has improved physically and cognitively, but she still hopes to return to an eating disorder program in Edmonton that she had attended this year.

The 31-year-old mother had received government assistance to attend the program at the University of Alberta Hospital. However, she says she had to come home early because government would no longer provide funding once she became an out-patient in the transitional program.

Foster says transitional care is critically important to prevent relapses from occurring.

Over the years the five-foot, three-inch Foster has suffered heart attacks, seizures and pneumonia. At one point she weighed 67 pounds. She was up to about 115 pounds after her stay in Edmonton but lost about 30 pounds in the past two months.

With help from friends, she has appealed to senior and local government officials. They plan also to write to Queen Elizabeth II to encourage government to assist Foster and others who suffer from an eating disorder.