Bettie is motivated by a desire to make her mum and her nan proud
She is also driven by her determination to show her gratitude to the NHS staff who have saved her life on countless occasions and to be inspirational to people suffering from life threatening conditions.
Bettie was born with Cystinosis. It is a rare, but deadly condition which attacks, amongst other things, the kidneys. A kidney transplant brought some hope, but ten years later Bettie’s body rejected the kidney and her life hung in the balance once again.
All Bettie really wanted was to go to school with the other children, but her condition meant that this opportunity had been constantly denied her. She was devastated to reach the age of 18 with no English GCSE.
Right from the start of her English course with BAES, Bettie was determined that her condition wouldn’t stand in her way. Having been stable for several months, in December 2021, she suddenly felt unwell during an on-line lesson. For Bettie, unwell means a 999 call. She stunned her classmates by calmly announcing,
“An ambulance is on its way, but I’d like to finish this exercise, so I’ll just stay on the Zoom call until the paramedics arrive.”
Hospitalization often spells the end of BAES learners’ dreams. Not for Bettie.
She continued to attend every lesson, via Zoom, from her hospital bed. After eight weeks in hospital, Bettie was allowed home and has worked tirelessly since to consolidate all that she has learned. She attends extra classes and completes piles of extra homework in an attempt to reach her goal.
To say that she has proved inspirational to the other learners is an understatement.
