Against the Odds

Your kindness can be the spark that brings a young mind to life and the catalyst that sets an individual on a bright new path. This is because without financial support from generous donors like you – whether through a donation now or via a gift in your will – all this can seem impossible.

That was the case for first-year Medicine student Gabriella who was worried that without financial support, she may not be able to enter higher education. Sadly for Gabriella her mum passed away in 2020 due to a brain aneurism, leaving Gabriella’s dad to support her and her two younger brothers, which meant her ambition to study medicine was thrown into doubt. However, it was a similar sense of adversity that inspired Gabriella’s aspirations to study Medicine in the first place.

“I first realised I wanted to study medicine during a prolonged hospital stay when I was 13-years-old,” said Gabriella. “After months of struggling to walk or enjoy playing sports with my friends, an orthopaedic surgeon diagnosed me with a rare lower limb condition which she later resolved through two major surgeries.

“These surgeries left me wheelchair bound for eight months and then after some intense rehabilitation and physiotherapy I was back walking again with crutches. During my hospital stay I took an interest in the various medical conditions of the other children in my bay and I remember asking each staff member what their uniform meant and what they did in their job.

“Once I had fully recovered from my surgeries and returned to school, I arranged some work experience in a podiatrist’s clinic to get a taste for working in healthcare. I loved my time there so much that I returned multiple times and observed surgeries as well as being allowed to perform basic examinations.”

In order to achieve her ambition of heading to university, Gabriella studied Chemistry, Biology and Psychology at A-level, as well as completing an Extended Project Qualification in treatments for adolescent mental health conditions. Unfortunately, like many other young people in 2022, Gabriella received the news that she had not achieved the grades required to study Medicine but once again, her determination pushed her onwards.

“Determined to make my younger self and my mum proud I decided to be resilient and resit my A-level Chemistry the following year,” Gabriella told us. “I spent that year working in Goole District Hospital on a neurological rehabilitation ward as a healthcare assistant alongside my studies to gain clinical experience as well as help people who had traumatic brain injuries similar to my mum. Working there helped me better understand the impact health professionals have on a patient’s quality of life and gave me a sense of belonging that motivated me to reapply for Medicine at university.”

Even after achieving the grades required to come to Nottingham, Gabriella was still concerned about having the financial freedom to experience university life to its fullest. She also wanted to return to Goole on a regular basis to continue her work on the neurological rehabilitation ward as a healthcare assistant, without the worry of travel costs.

“I found out I was lucky enough to receive this scholarship whilst on a night shift at the hospital and immediately told the other nursing staff on shift who had been supporting me through my application process,” said Gabriella.

“We were overjoyed because the financial aspect of university had been my biggest worry coming from a single parent household and this scholarship meant I would be able to participate in activities and opportunities at university without the added financial burden.”

Thanks to the scholarship, not only has Gabriella been given the confidence to come to Nottingham, the freedom of not having to get a part-time job has allowed her to join the medic’s netball team, along with the climbing team.

“I enjoy walking round Wollaton Park, which is beautiful and reminds me of the countryside back home,” added Gabriella. “While at Nottingham I am looking forward to saying ‘yes’ to as many opportunities as possible and giving new things a go. None of this would have been possible without the kindness of a donor.”