AWARDS 2011: Helen's First Class Response To Epilepsy Battle
21 January 2011
Helen will attend the Awards Ceremonies on Saturday, 22 January at the Assembly Rooms in Derby with proud husband Michael and children Tom,18 and Katy,14.
She [Helen] is an inspiration to others about what can be achieved through determination and belief
”Tutor Dr Jane Montague, Derby's Assistant Head of Psychology
Courageous mum Helen Hollis had part of her brain removed five years ago in an operation which was a life or death gamble to beat epilepsy.
At the time she was part-way through her degree at the University of Derby and medics warned the surgery may be high risk but may beeffective treatment for epilepsy as she was suffering 40 attacks a month.They removed part of her right temporal lobe - the source of the epilepsy - an area of the brain which encodes new information and is vital for memory.
The surgery was a success, reducing the frequency of the attacks, and to help her through her degree studies, University colleagues recorded lectures on an MP3 player so Helen could replay the lectures continuously in her own time, to help her absorb the information from each class.
She had embarked on the degree in 2002 after the scale and power of her epilepsy attacks forced her to give up her job as a critical care nurse at Kings Mill Hospital, in north Nottinghamshire.
And after eight long years of epilepsy attacks, adjusting to life post surgery, and supporting her family, Helen has emerged triumphant and this weekend graduates with First Class Honours in BSc (Hons) Psychology and Counselling Studies degree, which is accredited by the British Psychological Society.
The University has also recognised Helen's efforts, and the 47-year-old from Wild Hill, Teversal, Nottinghamshire, will also receive a special prize: The McGraw-Hill Prize for Success under Difficult Circumstances.
Helen, who is also a National Society for Epilepsy volunteer, helping other sufferers manage their condition, said: "I am looking forward to having the photograph of my graduation on the mantelpiece to remind me of what I have achieved.
"It will be without doubt one of the proudest moments of my life and I was determined never to give up and give in to epilepsy. I thank my family, and support network at the University so much for supporting me through it all."
Helen will attend the Awards Ceremonies on Saturday, 22 January at the Assembly Rooms in Derby with proud husband Michael and children Tom, 18 and Katy, 14.
Helen worked as a staff nurse in the renal unit at Nottingham City Hospital from 1990-2000 after qualifying as a nurse in Mansfield in the late 1980s. She has suffered with headaches and epilepsy attacks since the early 1980s, but managed the attacks with early warning signs and symptoms and going to the rest room to recover.
In 2000, she then became a staff nurse in the intensive care unit at King's Mill Hospital in Mansfield, but in the two years she was there, her epilepsy attacks got more severe, becoming more powerful and difficult to manage.
She had a long-running battle with her hospital managers, with help from her union representatives, but was advised to give up her role in 2002 because the hospital and her neurological specialists were worried she would have an attack in the intensive care ward.
Helen said: "I was devastated to have to give up the job I loved as I just wanted to support and care for people; me and my colleagues really did make a difference. I was offered a job in the plaster room or buddying another nurse but it simply was not for me. I hated what epilepsy was doing to me but was determined to succeed elsewhere in life."
She decided to enrol on her degree part-time at Derby to begin to pursue her dream job as a counsellor helping others, and received an LEA (local education authority) grant to provide travel from her home to the University after epilepsy forced her to quit driving.
By 2005, in the second academic year of her degree, Helen was suffering 40 epileptic fits a month and her neurologist advised her to have the brain surgery - but he also advised her that such a major brain operation could be a risk to her life.
The surgery at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, in London, was a success and a few months later she returned to her studies.
Helen now suffers around one epilepsy attack a year but the attacks are still powerful and in April 2010 she had to have an overnight stay in a local hospital to stabilise her.
Helen also praised University colleagues, including Karen Williams and Cheron Stevenson in the former Support and Advisory Service (now Student Wellbeing), and Psychology academic staff, who have helped her to achieve her qualification. She also paid tribute to another support worker Clare Willmer, who died in 2008, and whose memory she still treasures.
Helen said: "I cannot thank people enough at Derby. They treated me as a student first and foremost and not just 'someone with epilepsy' when I had attacks during lectures. They also gave me self belief to keep going which was fantastic as there were times when I needed support."
Helen's final dissertation was based on her condition and how it affects sufferers' identity and conversation. Her degree gives her a grounding in counselling psychology and with her clinical background, provides an excellent basis for her to begin to pursue her dream career as a counsellor to help others. She is now hoping to embark on the MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Derby.
Her tutor Dr Jane Montague, Derby's Assistant Head of Psychology said: "We are delighted to be celebrating Helen's achievement. For her final project she was involved in the research as a researcher and an interviewee living with epilepsy which added an interesting element to her work and findings. She is an inspiration to others about what can be achieved through determination and belief."
What The Medics Say
Dr Michael O'Donoghue, Helen's Consultant Neurologist, at the Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham, said: "People with epilepsy face many barriers in life due to misconceptions about their abilities. Helen is a shining example that with a positive attitude and lots of determination it is possible to achieve amazing things in spite of the condition. She also illustrates what successes can be achieved when people with difficult epilepsy receive specialist care."
Mr Andrew McEvoy, consultant neurosurgeon at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), treated Helen. He said: "Because of the severity of her epilepsy Helen underwent state-of-the-art investigation at the NHNN in London and National Society for Epilepsy in Chalfont. This identified an abnormality in her right temporal lobe responsible for her epilepsy.
"After much reflection and discussion Helen underwent a six hour operation to try to remove the source of her seizures. It is fantastic that Helen's bravery in choosing to undergo major brain surgery has led to such fantastic personal achievement and I hope will encourage other patients with epilepsy of the outcomes possible with modern neurosurgery. We all wish Helen well with her ongoing studies and career."
For more information contact Deputy Head of Corporate Relations Simon Redfern on 01332 591942 or 07748 920038 or email s.redfern@derby.ac.uk
