ROSIE Naylor will sit down with hundreds of her fellow Saddleworth School pupils this month to take the first of her GCSE exams.
That is something Rosie’s family, friends and teachers doubted after the 16-year-old from Diggle was hospitalised with a serious debilitating condition in October 2016.
Rosie spent 12 months in the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH), initially unable to walk and later confined to a wheelchair.
Doctors feared it might be two or three years before the keen horse rider and dancer gained full mobility again.
Within 12 months though and after missing most of Year 9, Rosie returned to Saddleworth School to start Year 10 (in September 2017), albeit on a reduced timetable.
Staff still wondered if her enforced absence from classes would make it impossible for the former Diggle School youngster to take all her GCSEs in the coming weeks.
Determined Rosie though has proved everyone wrong. She even found time- with her school pals-to raise funds for the RMCH and Ronald McDonald House- a free ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families with children receiving treatment in the RMCH.
Helped by cake bake sales, green T-shirt purchases plus students’ £1 non-uniform donations they raised £1,509.57 for the two causes.
“I became ill and it got complicated,” said brave Rosie, matter-of-factly.
“At first, it was suggested it might be two or three years before I got well.
“They had hospital school and I did some maths, science and English but it’s not the same as proper school.
“Fortunately, I have managed to catch up with most of my work,” added Rosie whose time in hospital convinced her she wants to study to become a nurse.”
Fellow pupils were regular visitors while Rosie was in hospital and they told the Independent: “We all wanted to be there for her and support her as much as we could.
“We were all surprised by how positive she managed to stay.”
Nina Grimbley, pupil support assistant, and Heather Byron, pastoral support for year 11, said: “We are really proud of Rosie and how she has returned to school with determination to succeed.
“She could have given up after being ill for so long but has worked very hard to catch up to the rest of her year group.”
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