Why I participated as a model in the "Stepping Out for Hopewell" fashion show fundraiser by Julie Beun

When my sister was 13 to 16, she suffered from anorexia and bulimia--the illness nearly took her life. For a long time, she was at the Queensway Carleton's psych unit, because there was such a long waiting list to get into the Clarke Institute in Toronto. Although they did their best for her, it was a dismal place for her to live and for her family to visit.

As a journalist, I have written about eating disorders and the institutions that operate on a shoestring to help their patients. For that reason--and for my sister--I agreed to model for Hopewell's fashion parade at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club.

It was a fun and wonderful evening in support of an excellent cause.