Oh wow… I haven’t updated since Christmas last year!
This year has absolutely flown by, and I’ve been so busy that it’s difficult to know where to even start filling you all in. I guess the best place to start is with the course! I have now finished the first year of my MSc in Psychological Trauma, and I’m about to start my second year at the end of this month.
The work has been incredibly hard, psychological trauma is no joke! Over the past year I’ve had three major assignments to write, as well as a dissertation proposal, and it has been an enormous amount of work. I actually counted up how many words I was required to submit in that first year alone, and it came to at least 15,500 words! I passed all of my assignments with high merits, and I even achieved a distinction for my dissertation proposal!
THAT is a lot to live up to going into year two! Despite achieving so much, I still feel as though there is a huge mountain left to climb. Earlier this year, I was also invited to the Anglia Ruskin University Alumni Awards. This is the university where I studied my BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing nearly 14 years ago, and I was incredibly proud to receive a Highly Commended Award.
It all still feels quite surreal.
My time at Anglia Ruskin played such a huge part in making me the person I am today. I went almost directly from being abused every day by the Telford grooming gang to arriving in student halls at university and beginning a completely new chapter of my life. That university gave me the opportunity to build a different future for myself, a future which is now my present, and I will always be incredibly grateful for that. I’ve included a photograph from the awards and a little video I made with the university in this update.
As I mentioned in an update last year, my dad also came to live with me after being diagnosed with terminal cancer and being given a limited prognosis. Initially we were told he may only have around two years left. We are now about a year into that, and incredibly, his cancer has not progressed, thanks to his treatment. That is absolutely fantastic news and something we are extremely grateful for.
Unfortunately, Dad also has several other physical health problems, and they can take a huge toll on him. I’m so glad he is living with me because it means I can be there when he becomes seriously unwell. He recently needed a stay in hospital after becoming dangerously ill, and thankfully I was there and able to call an ambulance. We also finally found somewhere we thought would be suitable for both of us to live.
Unfortunately, what we could afford turned out to be a very serious renovation project! So Dad and I have basically been living on a building site.
It has been an absolute nightmare at times. I’ve managed to get a head injury and concussion, injured my wrist and even had a very close call with the electrics! so it definitely hasn’t been the peaceful new home we imagined!
For months it felt as though we discovered a new problem with the house every single day. At the same time, I have been working full-time, completing my Master’s degree, helping to renovate the house and caring for Dad. So, as you can probably imagine, my time has been completely consumed!
To be completely clear, neither my dad nor I have ever received any outside financial support towards these costs, whether from an individual, campaigner, organisation, media figure or any other source.
The money donated through this GoFundMe is kept in a separate savings account and is only used for the specific costs I have explained on this page. At present, donations are used towards:
– Travel costs to university each week
– Overnight accommodation before university because of the distance I have to travel
If you would ever like to donate towards something outside of those specific costs, please send me a message and clearly state what you would like your donation to be used for. And finally, thank you so much to everyone who has donated, shared the fundraiser, sent me messages or simply followed my journey. I genuinely would not have imagined, all those years ago when I first arrived at university, that my life would eventually lead me here. There is still a long way to go, but year one of the MSc is officially done.
Here is a link to the GoFundMe page for reference: GoFundMe
Now for year two! ❤️
Love to you all,
Kate