I was editing a piece by Angus Dei early this morning and it reminded me of the student I had funded many years ago. I remembered that she was in dire need of finances and without it she would have had to have pulled out of her college course. For the sake of this piece, we will call her Mary Ann.
Mary Ann was a teenager, her mother worked hard to support both children. Mary Ann had been desperate enough to fight the status quo and do something for herself. She struck at the government policy on student debts publicly and requested funding. Apparently, no one had come forth to fund her so I did. So for three years I funded her and during Christmas, a little extra went her way.
Sadly, once I was fired in 2007 courtesy of the GMC, that funding stopped in the last three months of her education. Nevertheless, Mary Ann made it to graduation and I was glad to have helped her on a monthly basis. She obtained her degree in the Arts and is probably now working at an excellent place. I am very proud of her actually. I think that amongst all the people I have assisted, she was one of the very best. A young lady with self belief and confidence to take strides into the future to beat the system. A system that was set up to fail her.
Now, it shouldn't have been up to me to have supported her. I believe the small grant of £100 per month for her at the time plus extras was enough to tide her through. When we read about the greed of the MPs, we should ask them why they did not fund Mary Ann. Mary could have been any student in the UK. Why should MPs be able to comfort spend when people are suffering like this?
Mary Ann's name for me was Fairy God Mother. I recall her being utterly elated when the funding was agreed. This amused me greatly but I was in admiration of the fact she picked herself up and went in search for help in order to fix her life. She wanted to better herself and be the best. Indeed, in the end she achieved that with a little help from me. Perhaps the MP with the duck pond house could think about this issue. They should think about why someone had to fund this young lady and why students often live in poverty.
In my time in medicine, I funded many patients out of my own pocket for basics such as food. Crisis Loans are slow and painful for them and in the meantime, people need food, water and shelter. The point is though, we shouldn't have to do this. It should be the government's job. Perhaps it is the silent poverty that remains unnoticed by the government. Or perhaps, that world is irrelevant to the MPs today.
Mary Ann was a teenager, her mother worked hard to support both children. Mary Ann had been desperate enough to fight the status quo and do something for herself. She struck at the government policy on student debts publicly and requested funding. Apparently, no one had come forth to fund her so I did. So for three years I funded her and during Christmas, a little extra went her way.
Sadly, once I was fired in 2007 courtesy of the GMC, that funding stopped in the last three months of her education. Nevertheless, Mary Ann made it to graduation and I was glad to have helped her on a monthly basis. She obtained her degree in the Arts and is probably now working at an excellent place. I am very proud of her actually. I think that amongst all the people I have assisted, she was one of the very best. A young lady with self belief and confidence to take strides into the future to beat the system. A system that was set up to fail her.
Now, it shouldn't have been up to me to have supported her. I believe the small grant of £100 per month for her at the time plus extras was enough to tide her through. When we read about the greed of the MPs, we should ask them why they did not fund Mary Ann. Mary could have been any student in the UK. Why should MPs be able to comfort spend when people are suffering like this?
Mary Ann's name for me was Fairy God Mother. I recall her being utterly elated when the funding was agreed. This amused me greatly but I was in admiration of the fact she picked herself up and went in search for help in order to fix her life. She wanted to better herself and be the best. Indeed, in the end she achieved that with a little help from me. Perhaps the MP with the duck pond house could think about this issue. They should think about why someone had to fund this young lady and why students often live in poverty.
In my time in medicine, I funded many patients out of my own pocket for basics such as food. Crisis Loans are slow and painful for them and in the meantime, people need food, water and shelter. The point is though, we shouldn't have to do this. It should be the government's job. Perhaps it is the silent poverty that remains unnoticed by the government. Or perhaps, that world is irrelevant to the MPs today.
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