Holly beats epileptic seizures and blackouts
AFTER suffering constant seizures, blackouts and dizziness throughout years 10 and 11 Holly Price would have been forgiven for putting her education on the backburner, writes Byron Melton.
But despite countless visits to Queen Alexandra Hospital and an eventual diagnosis of epilepsy she battled through and finished her GCSEs.
The 16-year-old Crookhorn College pupil and her mum, Claire, were in tears of joy as she unveiled two 6s, two 4s and a host of passes yesterday.
It seemed an unimaginable feat for a girl whose studies were marred by terrifying, debilitating seizures that first struck only when she was 14.
‘Most of my exams were a blur but I knew I couldn’t miss them,’ she said.
‘You know what hospitals are like, I was having scans all over the place and I was out of it most of the time, but I was having to come into school and get my attendance up.
‘Instead of going to lessons I had to go to a room on my own because I was all over the place and during my exams I was sat in my own room having seizures.
‘I didn’t know what was going on.’
When the first seizure occurred it was believed to be a one-off, but to Holly and her family’s horror they returned and became ‘really frightening’.
‘When she started doing her exams the seizures became more frequent and there was no warning,’ said her mum Claire, 39.
‘She just drops to the floor, she shakes violently, goes completely blue and doesn’t breathe.
‘It’s really frightening to watch, but I’m so proud of her because she has picked herself up and dusted herself off.’
Holly will now go on to study personal training for health, fitness and performance at Havant and South Downs College – a choice inspired by the hardship of her mum’s cousin.
‘We recently had a family member go through a horrific motorbike accident and watching physiotherapists with him is what’s spurred her on,’ said Claire.
Holly added: ‘Every time I see him he’s able to do more and more and I want to help change someone’s life in that way.’
THERE is a distinct case of deja vu in today’s edition of The News. Last Friday we sang the praises of our region’s students who were celebrating great A-level results. A week on, we are doing the same for those teenagers who yesterday received their GCSE grades.
Last Friday we devoted seven pages to the A-level results and made no apology for doing so. This is a newspaper which likes to shout about the achievements of young people when it can.
A week on, another seven pages and no apology again. Just a celebration of our youngsters celebrating.
Of course, not everyone will have opened up their envelopes and received good news. We do not live in a perfect world, after all. Yet those who did not get the results they were after should take on board the comments of Portsmouth City Council cabinet member for education, Suzy Horton.
‘Today might not be cause for celebration for everyone, but learning never stops,’ she admitted. ‘If you try your best, work hard and focus on what you are good at, other doors will open.’
They are certainly wise words. Exam results are important – if they weren’t, we wouldn’t take them in the first place – but they are not the be all and end all.
Across the region, figures released by Hampshire County Council showed a slight increase in the number of students achieving a standard pass.
Councillor Roz Chadd enthused: ‘This is a huge achievement. There’s no question the new GCSE examinations are tougher than ever, yet Hampshire’s pupils have performed excellently.
‘They should be proud of their results, as should their families and schools.’ More wise words. In this day and age, perhaps we don’t take as much pride in hard work and good results as we should. A little bit of pride in ourselves, and others, can go a very long way indeed.