\u201cI left school after falling pregnant at a young age. I didn\u2019t want to give up on learning, but it was challenging without childcare support. I completed course after course at college because I could study from home, but I was ready for the next step,\u201d explains Katherine.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the birth of my second daughter, I lost my mum to cancer. I became unwell with my mental health, and I remember saying to my psychiatric nurse that I wanted to try the OU. She said it would be too much, but I went ahead anyway. I found studying calmed me and helped me look forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen everything had gone dark, the OU lit up my life. It rebuilt my confidence. The tutors made me feel relaxed and welcome. I\u2019m really thankful for the support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Using her new skills<\/strong><\/h2>\nAlongside her studies, Katherine works at her local hospital, where she\u2019s been able to apply the skills learnt from her degree.<\/p>\n
\u201cCombined with my college qualifications, I\u2019ve been studying health and social care for ten years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love learning about every aspect of human beings, from medical conditions to healthcare. It\u2019s also been fascinating to learn more about society. It\u2019s opened my eyes to the world that we live in.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy role as a healthcare support worker at the mental health hospital in Aberdeen has allowed me to put this learning into practice. I work across the hospital in intensive psychiatric care, rehab, the eating disorder unit and with patients who have learning disabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I\u2019ve finished my degree I\u2019d like to go into public speaking or management. I\u2019d also like to do more studying, maybe a Masters degree. I’m so excited to see what the future brings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Faced with the unimaginable <\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Katherine-3-300x261.png\")
Katherine with her daughter<\/p><\/div>\n
Katherine has carried on with her studies through her daughter\u2019s ill health and her own ongoing struggle with endometriosis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hospital kept sending my daughter home, even though she was repeatedly poorly. It wasn\u2019t until she caught pneumonia that she was rushed by air ambulance to another hospital where they discovered an egg-sized tumour pressing on her windpipe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tumour was so big that it was killing her. She was put on life support for 13 days and although she recovered, she now suffers from tracheobronchomalacia (TBM), which is where the walls of her trachea and bronchi are weak and collapse every time she takes a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe needs a lot of physiotherapy, which I administer as her full-time carer. On top of her breathing condition, she\u2019s been diagnosed with ADHD.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doing it for her family<\/strong><\/h2>\nStudying has given Katherine the respite she needs, and when her workload and responsibilities have felt too much, she remembers the reason she started her degree.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cJuggling university with work, my two daughters and my endometriosis has been difficult at times, but having the option to pause my studies has really helped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took a short break in 2020, but quickly missed my OU work. Studying has been my rock during the hard times. It\u2019s given me something to focus on and has taken my mind away from the stress and worry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been times when I\u2019ve felt like giving up, but I always remember my mum\u2019s advice. When I kept failing my driving test, she would tell me to keep going and not give up. I hear her in my head telling me to carry on trying, just like she did. I want to make her proud and will go as far as I can, for her and my girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keep your goal in mind <\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Katherine-2-300x298.png\")
Katherine studies with the OU alongside caring for her children and working at her local hospital<\/p><\/div>\n
Katherine has advice for other students who might be struggling with issues in their personal lives while managing their studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember your goal and why you started in the first place. It can be tough when lots is going on in your life but try to not lose sight of what you\u2019re working towards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to show my children that studying is important and that there\u2019s always room to learn more. You can never stop learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve seen me studying for years now and I hope they’ll admire me and think if my mum can do it, I can do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katherine with her daughter<\/p><\/div>\n
Katherine has carried on with her studies through her daughter\u2019s ill health and her own ongoing struggle with endometriosis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hospital kept sending my daughter home, even though she was repeatedly poorly. It wasn\u2019t until she caught pneumonia that she was rushed by air ambulance to another hospital where they discovered an egg-sized tumour pressing on her windpipe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tumour was so big that it was killing her. She was put on life support for 13 days and although she recovered, she now suffers from tracheobronchomalacia (TBM), which is where the walls of her trachea and bronchi are weak and collapse every time she takes a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe needs a lot of physiotherapy, which I administer as her full-time carer. On top of her breathing condition, she\u2019s been diagnosed with ADHD.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doing it for her family<\/strong><\/h2>\nStudying has given Katherine the respite she needs, and when her workload and responsibilities have felt too much, she remembers the reason she started her degree.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cJuggling university with work, my two daughters and my endometriosis has been difficult at times, but having the option to pause my studies has really helped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took a short break in 2020, but quickly missed my OU work. Studying has been my rock during the hard times. It\u2019s given me something to focus on and has taken my mind away from the stress and worry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been times when I\u2019ve felt like giving up, but I always remember my mum\u2019s advice. When I kept failing my driving test, she would tell me to keep going and not give up. I hear her in my head telling me to carry on trying, just like she did. I want to make her proud and will go as far as I can, for her and my girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keep your goal in mind <\/strong><\/h2>\nKatherine studies with the OU alongside caring for her children and working at her local hospital<\/p><\/div>\n
Katherine has advice for other students who might be struggling with issues in their personal lives while managing their studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember your goal and why you started in the first place. It can be tough when lots is going on in your life but try to not lose sight of what you\u2019re working towards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to show my children that studying is important and that there\u2019s always room to learn more. You can never stop learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve seen me studying for years now and I hope they’ll admire me and think if my mum can do it, I can do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJuggling university with work, my two daughters and my endometriosis has been difficult at times, but having the option to pause my studies has really helped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took a short break in 2020, but quickly missed my OU work. Studying has been my rock during the hard times. It\u2019s given me something to focus on and has taken my mind away from the stress and worry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been times when I\u2019ve felt like giving up, but I always remember my mum\u2019s advice. When I kept failing my driving test, she would tell me to keep going and not give up. I hear her in my head telling me to carry on trying, just like she did. I want to make her proud and will go as far as I can, for her and my girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keep your goal in mind <\/strong><\/h2>\nKatherine studies with the OU alongside caring for her children and working at her local hospital<\/p><\/div>\n
Katherine has advice for other students who might be struggling with issues in their personal lives while managing their studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember your goal and why you started in the first place. It can be tough when lots is going on in your life but try to not lose sight of what you\u2019re working towards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to show my children that studying is important and that there\u2019s always room to learn more. You can never stop learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve seen me studying for years now and I hope they’ll admire me and think if my mum can do it, I can do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katherine studies with the OU alongside caring for her children and working at her local hospital<\/p><\/div>\n
Katherine has advice for other students who might be struggling with issues in their personal lives while managing their studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember your goal and why you started in the first place. It can be tough when lots is going on in your life but try to not lose sight of what you\u2019re working towards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to show my children that studying is important and that there\u2019s always room to learn more. You can never stop learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve seen me studying for years now and I hope they’ll admire me and think if my mum can do it, I can do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n