Joe Cappello was a vibrant, selfless man who would go out of his way to make sure his friends and family were taken care of.
His sister Danielle said it would have been hard for people to understand the battle he was fighting behind closed doors.
“He just wanted to do everything for everybody else and was always the one to say hi to people around the neighbourhood,” Ms Cappello said.
“He was a tutor, he was studying at university, he had a run club — he was just into everything.”
Privately, the 25-year-old had been fighting a 12-year battle with an eating disorder, which led to his death in August last year.
Approximately 1.1 million people in Australia are affected by an eating disorder, according to the Butterfly Foundation.
One in three identify as male and they are four times more likely than females to go undiagnosed.
If you or anyone you know needs help:
Butterfly Foundation: For support call the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or visit www.butterfly.org.au to chat online or email, seven days a week, 8am-midnight AEDT.Â
Ms Cappello hopes to raise awareness of this alarming statistic.
“Male eating disorders can present differently and they can be hidden a lot easier,” she said.
“We talk about men’s mental health a lot, which is awesome, but I really want to extend that to include eating disorders, as they are a mental health condition.
“It can be hard for people to understand it and talk about it because it doesn’t fit that kind of stereotype for what an eating disorder looks like.”
Danielle Cappello and Joe were born 18 months apart but would often get mistaken as twins. (Supplied: Danielle Cappello)
Misconceptions and stereotypes
According to Butterfly Foundation’s 2024 Paying the Price report, more than 365,000 men will experience an eating disorder in any given year.
Those aged 15 to 19 are the most at risk and the foundation’s head of clinical and support services, Natalie Spicer, believes the figure may not paint the full picture.
“The actual percentage of men among people with eating disorders may be much higher as their experiences may be overlooked or misdiagnosed by clinicians,” Ms Spicer said.
“Many may feel shame and avoid reaching out for help.”
Joe Cappello, seen here with Danielle, died in August last year after battling an eating disorder for 12 years. (Supplied: Danielle Cappello)
She said one of the biggest challenges was combating stereotypes that suggested eating disorders only affected women and girls.
“Stigma and shame are identified as the most common barriers stopping people from seeking treatment or reaching out for help,” Ms Spicer said.
“For men and boys this can be even more pronounced because of the misconception that eating disorders are a ‘female issue’, as well as masculine norms around being perceived as strong and in control, which can be further barriers to seeking help.
“We really need to break this myth down so that more men feel comfortable reaching out for support and know that they aren’t alone in what they are experiencing.”
The Butterfly Foundation’s 2024 BodyKind Youth Survey found that of the 1,648 respondents, 84 per cent of boys aged 12 to 18 desired to be more muscular and more than one in five reported some level of body dissatisfaction.
“We know that appearance-focused content on social media can have a particularly negative impact for some, and 23 per cent of young boys said that social media made them feel dissatisfied with their body,” Ms Spicer said.
“It found 48 per cent never or rarely speak positively about their body and over 69 per cent never or rarely talk to someone if they’re not feeling good about their body or appearance.”
Jog for Joe
In honour of her late brother, Ms Cappello started the Jog for Joe movement, organising local park runs to raise money and awareness.
“We wanted to just get people talking about eating disorders and to get the message out that they can be deadly and they’re really serious,” Ms Cappello said.
 “They can affect anyone — men, women, children, adults, and this aims to get people involved in community events where we can talk about eating disorders.”
The third Jog for Joe will take place this weekend on the Sunshine Coast. (Supplied: Danielle Cappello)
More than 100 runners are expected to don Joe’s favourite colour, blue, at this weekend’s third Jog for Joe at Bokarina Park.
“This isn’t a big run club. This is about getting the community together to start talking about these things,” Ms Cappello said.
“Whether you’re walking, running, come on a scooter, or with your mum, family or dog, we really just want to get as many people involved as possible.”