Norwegian woman left bedridden after severe anorexia denied rehabilitation

A 20-year-old Oslo woman remains bedridden in her childhood home nearly a year after surviving 148 days on a ventilator due to severe anorexia, with no hospital willing to admit her for rehabilitation, Dagbladet reports.

Rikke, whose last name is withheld, lies motionless in a bed set up in the family living room, able only to move her fingers and toes slightly. She describes each day as unbearable, telling the newspaper, “I feel completely alone, like no one cares what happens to me.” Her mother, Susanne Wien Offermann, has spent over a year fighting for rehabilitation placement, but multiple hospitals have rejected her referrals.

Rikke was discharged from intensive care last year after her eating disorder caused multi-organ failure. At the time, she could sit on the edge of the bed with support; now, she says, “I just want it all to be over.” A physiotherapist visits twice weekly for 45-minute sessions, which Rikke calls insufficient. “He does what he can, but it’s not enough to make a difference,” she said.

Oslo’s Søndre Nordstrand district, responsible for her home care, declined to comment on individual cases but stated it takes service quality seriously. Rikke’s mother called the situation “like being buried alive,” adding that her daughter wants to study and work, not rely on disability benefits.

Rikke’s decline began at 16 when she admitted to her doctor that she couldn’t stop exercising and struggled to eat. Her condition eventually required hospitalization, emergency treatment, and tube feeding.