Tags
Education, M.Sc, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, pain, Psychology, TM, transverse myelitis
When I was 14 years old I wanted to be a doctor. I studied hard to try and get on to an A Level course that would mean I could get into Med School. Mum got cancer, then she died, then I took my exams and ended up being screwed over because of my school. Long story short they failed to post my science coursework off so I got “no result” on my GSCE sciences, even though the exam results were AAB (A’s for Biology and Chemistry, B in Physics).
When I was 23 I wanted to be a nurse so I went to college at 25 and studied Psychology, Sociology and English Literature because the two social sciences would get me into nursing school. However during my A Levels I became really interested in Psychology. I ended up applying for a Psychology degree at the University of Liverpool.
When I was 28 I wanted to be either a clinical psychologist or an educational psychologist. I ended up with a 2.1 and placements to volunteer for a year at a school and a hospital.
When I was 32 I fell ill with Transverse Myelitis.
When I was 36 I wanted to be a health psychologist or counselling psychologist so I applied to Liverpool John Moores and began a Health Psychology Masters. However, during the first semester I had a relapse and had to defer half of my assignments. In the second semester I did all my deferrals and my work for that semester and I am on course for a slightly higher grade than the one I got at undergrad.
At 37 I want to study the psychology of pain, to focus on autoimmune disease and eventually be a specialist who develops pain interventions for this group of patients – a group I belong to. It is through my own pain that I come to this final career path and since this pain is with me forever I think it is a good incentive, right? 😛
My career path has changed due to circumstances. I can adapt and have needed to my whole life. I hope I can be a help to others with chronic pain too.
