Iolo beats the odds
Penywaun student’s stellar exam results after illness:
A TEENAGER who needed emergency surgery to save his life has astounded his family, friends and teachers by picking up a phenomenal set of GCSE results.
Iolo Edwards, is a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun, Penywaun, in the Cynon Valley.
The “very determined young man”, was given 24 hours to live in April 2018 when his body began “shutting down” due to major complications with his bowel.
Following a seven-hour operation to remove his bowel, Iolo faced a long journey to recovery, meaning he missed a lot of time at school.
Then, in September 2020, he was diagnosed with a brain condition which caused him severe headaches.
Despite all the obstacles he has faced, the 16-year-old kept up his studies and gained an impressive five As and eight A*s in his GCSE exams.
“My heart was beating out of my chest with pride,” said his mother, Karen Edwards, upon hearing his results last week.
“He’s determined to do just as well in his A-levels so he can pursue his dream of a career in the medical profession. He’s certainly got the character for it.”
Mum-of-three Karen, from Merthyr Tydfil, said Iolo first started complaining of stomach problems in February
2018 at the age of 13, and was then sick five days in a row.
“I’d already taken him to the doctor as he’d seen a spot of blood in his poo. We took him again to the GP and he said it was probably nothing serious, but they referred him to Prince Charles Hospital just in case to rule out things like infections and C. diff,” she recalled.
However, doctors at Prince Charles Hospital suspected he might have ulcerative colitis – a serious inflammation of the lower end of the digestive system – and decided to transfer him for specialist care at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff.
“Ulcerative colitis is normally quite a long-drawn-out illness and there tend to be periods of flare-ups and then recovery and remission, but Iolo had a very acute episode,” Karen added.
“He was really into his boxing at the time and was due to have a fight in the April. He was super-fit before all this happened and was training three times a week. It was horrendous.
“Staff at the hospital said they’d never seen anyone deteriorate as quickly as him.”
Karen said doctors tried everything to save Iolo’s bowel, but within weeks of being in hospital it started to affect his other organs.
“They call it a toxic megacolon. They pumped him with medication but there was no real way of saving his bowel,” she explained.
“We were hoping for a miracle to happen. He was meant to have the operation on the Wednesday, but on the Monday his vitals were so low that they needed to take him down the following morning.
“He was meant to be in the operating theatre for three hours but it ended up being closer to seven. Every hour during his surgery just seemed like a lifetime, but we can’t thank the hospital enough – they saved our son’s life.”
On April 10, 2018, Iolo had the lifesaving bowel surgery, which went well despite a “few teething problems” including a raised heart rate.
He was then discharged from the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales, based at the UHW site, just a few weeks later.
As soon as he could, Iolo began throwing himself into charity work and continues to hold talks on his condition and how to use a stoma bag. “Exactly a year to the day since he was taken into Noah’s Ark he did a 100-mile bike ride from Merthyr to Brean Sands, with some dads and sons from Dowlais RFC, which raised a lot of money for the Noah’s Ark Charity. He’s quite keen to give back,” Karen added. In September 2020, Iolo was also diagnosed with a congenital brain condition which affects his eyes and gives him headaches, but none of his ordeal stopped him from excelling in his studies at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun. “His school has been tremendous with him. They gave him his own toilet, they put £1,000 towards his charity efforts – they have been exceptional. My two daughters have also been amazing and really supportive.” Iolo has become a charity ambassador for the Noah’s Ark Charity, which raises vital funds for the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales.
His school has been tremendous. They gave him his own toilet, they put £1,000 towards his charity efforts
Iolo’s mum Karen