West Yorkshire Teenager Nominated for National Award for Resilience

A teenager from West Yorkshire, who lives with complex disabilities, has received a nomination for a national award. This recognition highlights her “incredible resilience and positive attitude”. Emily, a 16-year-old from Huddersfield, sustained a brain injury shortly after birth. This injury led to various health conditions, such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, a visual impairment, and autism. Currently in remission from bone cancer, the teenager has been nominated for the Young Person of the Year award by the Sense charity. Emily, who completed 14 rounds of chemotherapy during her recent medical treatment, stated: “Life is for living and I intend to live mine to the full.” According to the disability charity, she underwent 12 blood transfusions and six weeks of radiotherapy to treat a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer known as Ewing’s Sarcoma. Emily, who now uses a wheelchair after her treatment, went back to school during breaks in her chemotherapy sessions when her health permitted. She also remarked: “You should never stop trying, never stop believing, never give up.” Her father, Andrew, noted that despite her experiences over the past 18 months, his daughter continues to smile “all the time”. Andrew added: “She’s got lots and lots of happiness inside her.” Prior to her cancer diagnosis, Emily was physically active, and her family recently encouraged her to participate in activities such as canoeing, climbing, archery, and basketball. Caroline expressed that she was “very proud” of her “very clever and very brave” daughter. Andrew further commented: “She is very special and she is holding the torch for other kids too.” He also stated: “It’s hard to get through cancer when you are mainstream, but when you have additional needs it is even harder.” Richard Kramer, the chief executive of Sense, mentioned that support staff were “blown away” by Emily’s “incredible resilience and positive attitude at a time of adversity”. He added: “We’re so glad she has been shortlisted for this award and we hope it has brought a smile to the whole family.” The Sense Awards feature a total of 13 categories, and the winners are scheduled to be announced next week. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.