Jade Ormiston

“The sense of achievement is indescribable,” says proud graduate Jade.

When severe health problems left Jade, 34, unable to physically attend university, she lost all hope of achieving her dream degree, fearing the opportunity had passed her by.

Now a proud Psychology with Counselling graduate, Jade shares how discovering The Open University (OU) gave her the flexibility to juggle motherhood, work and study, with the unpredictability of living with long-term health issues.

Finding a new path

At the age of 18, Jade was at the start of a new adventure, looking forward to the university experience she’d planned for, until she was thrown a huge curveball that would change the course of her future. 

“I needed to undergo surgery, which led to serious complications, including cardiac arrest," she explains. "As a result of ongoing health problems, it just wasn’t possible for me to carry on attending university.”

By the time Jade’s health was in a manageable place, she’d put the idea of studying behind her, choosing to find a job instead. She says: 

“I started working within a mental health and wellbeing service, which I loved. After a while, I realised that I wanted to understand the theory behind what I was seeing at work.”

Although Jade was yearning to learn, her preconceptions of being a student were in danger of holding her back.

“I kept thinking I was too old because I was comparing myself to the stereotypical student who enters higher education straight from school,” Jade remembers.

“But I reframed my outlook and realised that we age every day - you may as well be achieving something as you get older - so I decided to go after my degree and study a subject I feel passionate about.”

Overcoming challenges

With lots on her plate, the freedom to study at her own pace was a must for Jade.

“Discovering The Open University gave me the flexibility to work, manage my health conditions and study – it’s incredible.”

In the early stages of her degree, Jade found out she was going to be a mum. After a high-risk pregnancy, Jade’s son was born with serious health issues to deal with.

“I call Quillan my little miracle! He had respiratory failure and sepsis at birth, - it was a lot to deal with,“ Jade remembers.

“Despite everything I was going through I enjoyed my learning so much, OU study became something that got me through difficult times in my life.”

Expecting to struggle with the scientific aspect of psychology, Jade was surprised to excel in an area where she’d always lacked confidence.

“I grew up thinking I was terrible at maths, but I wasn’t, I’d just never the quality of teaching I had at the OU.” Jade adds, “I had phenomenal feedback from my psychology tutors, which really helped me to improve.”

Determined to smash through every obstacle in her way, Jade even managed to complete her final assignment from a hospital bed - with incredible results.

“Achieving a first-class honours degree is beyond my wildest expectations, the sense of achievement is indescribable,” Jade says. “I find it difficult to ask for help, but when I did, the OU was always there for me. And I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family.”

Planning for the future

Keen to build upon what she learned in her degree; Jade has jumped straight into a Master in Research (MRes) at Queen Margaret’s University in Edinburgh.

Think of a time when things felt impossible and you found the strength to keep going. I visualised myself in that cap and gown to keep motivated and it worked!”

“I was feeling a little lost after completing my degree and not yet being well enough to return to work, so I reached out to the OU’s Careers and Employability Service,” Jade says.

“The adviser I spoke to was so empathetic, he spoke to me about the bits of my course I enjoyed and what I wanted from my career. That conversation made me realise that I want to use my lived experience to help implement change.”

Now investigating psychological recovery post sepsis, Jade hopes that sharing her story will inspire others living with serious health conditions. She says: 

“It can be demoralising and difficult when life sends challenges, but it is possible to find a way to balance your ambitions with the issues you’re facing.”

For those who might be considering following a similar path, Jade has this advice:

“Try to get started early and get ahead – that really helped me when something unexpected was thrown in the mix.”

“Find other students to connect with – it helped me feel like I wasn’t alone, and the accountability helped me to push through.”

“Think of a time when things felt impossible and you found the strength to keep going – I visualised myself in that cap and gown to keep motivated and it worked!”

Photos by Kathryn Tuckerman