GCSE results 2021: Exams triumph for boy who spent year in hospital

Jason Ledford said he was inspired by the nurses who treated him

A boy who spent a year in hospital after being diagnosed with a brain tumour has defied the odds and secured the GCSE grades he needed to attend college.

Jason Ledford, from Alvaston, Derby, was left unable to walk, talk or see after two 11-hour operations in 2019.

The 16-year-old was determined to sit his exams despite the disruption to his studies.

His long hospital stay has inspired him to become a nurse.

The Merrill Academy student's results will now enable him to study health and social care at Derby College.

Months of chemotherapy

The teenager first discovered he had a tumour after experiencing a persistent headache.

His GP suggested an eye test, where an optician immediately spotted a problem and sent him to the Royal Derby Hospital.

He was then taken to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre where he underwent surgery.

The second 11-hour operation left Jason with posterior fossa syndrome, a common side effect of the procedure.

Surgery left Jason unable to walk, talk or open his eyes

Jason spent the next year recovering, where he was fed through a tube, required six weeks of radiotherapy and six months of chemotherapy.

He said: "I missed school so much. I went to the hospital school for a while, but my teachers and friends from Merrill kept in touch with me and I just wanted my old life back.

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"My balance is still not great, and my left side is quite weak, but I am getting there.

"I was on two different wards, and my ambition now is to get a job on one of those wards.

"I know what a difference it makes when you have a nice nurse - mine were amazing."

Jason's stint in hospital has inspired him to train to become a nurse

His long-term foster mum Helen Westfield said: "Jason was adamant that he was going to sit his exams and even when some of them clashed with hospital appointments, he went in and sat them on his own. We are all so very proud of him."

Grace Hoskins, vice principal of Merrill Academy, said: "After everything Jason has been through it was extremely pleasing that he was keen to continue with his GCSEs and we hope that his dream of becoming a nurse is one day fulfilled."