Izzie Everest's second blog

September 2024

Hi, I'm Izzie and this is my life 4 years on from my last blog. I am currently still a patient at Evelina London, however over the years I have been discharged from certain specialists and referred to many others.

So, what have I been up to?

I have continued to raise money for many charities, including Evelina London Children's Charity, from walking a mile around Westminster on my walking frame to abseiling down the side of the hospital building which is something I thought I'd never do. On a visit to the hospital one day myself and my dad came across a leaflet about the abseil and from that moment I knew I wanted to do it, especially as I could raise money for the place that over time had become my second home, but I just knew I couldn’t do it by myself. In the next few days after this I had the fantastic idea to invite my orthopaedic surgeon Mr Kokinakis, someone who had supported me to be more independent, to do the abseil alongside me. At first he said no because he was "scared of heights" obviously me being me didn't take that answer as an option so I replied with "the feeling you get as a result of being scared of heights is the same feeling I got when I entered your theatre before all of my surgeries". So, with that of course he couldn't say no, so I signed myself and my surgeon up to complete this fundraiser. So yes "I’m not just the girl in the wheelchair, I am much more - I can abseil from a building".

So, what happened with my judo?

Well, that's a silly question! Of course I still throw people around a mat who are double the size of me. Although COVID-19 did put a stop to things, but not for long because nobody or nothing can stop me from fulfilling my dreams. Before I knew it, I was back doing what I do best… you guessed it: throwing people around.

I obviously did something right because since the last time I posted I've become a European champion for the 5th time, kata champion for the 3rd time and a world judo champion again, this is a title I believed I would never earn because like everything these days you have to fit in the box, and I don’t, but I stood my ground and waited and eventually it happened. You may ask what Kata is, because let’s be honest, I did at first. The real definition that they tell you you should always use at school is "it is judo in its truest form". Basically, in simpler terms for some of the adults who may need it (because obviously us kids already get it), it's judo before it became a self defence sport. Or you could be like my mum and think of it as like dancing on ice.

You wouldn't believe it if I told you, but before I came along and opened a can of worms Kata wasn't a sport for people with physical disabilities in Great Britain.  So, my Kata partner and I decided that this needed changing immediately. From that moment on we began travelling around Great Britain demonstrating what we could do and entering competitions where there wasn’t a category for us. This was great because you could see the fear on the organisers' faces about how they were going to solve this 'problem'. The girl in the wheelchair. People always assume I cannot do things so I make it my mission to show that just because you have a physical disability doesn’t mean you can’t do things, you might just have to find a different way of doing things. I loved seeing some adults shocked faces when I turned up at their judo events in my wheelchair but slowly through my perseverance, I am showing the world of judo that wheelchairs aren't something to fear within the sport. After years of hard work and determination myself and my kata partner finally got awarded our GB badges so that we can represent kata in Great Britain.

What's next for me?

When it came to year 10 I had to consider a place to complete my work experience which brought with it a lot of anxiety. As someone in a wheelchair there are many places you can't work, like a café for example, because I don't know about you, but I prefer my tea and food on the table not on my lap.

Fortunately for me, Mr Kokinakis offered me a placement with him and his team. However when it eventually came to it, I contracted COVID-19, so I was unable to complete it. Instead, during the summer holidays I was able to do my placement and I spent 4 days working within the hospital which I loved every second of. I was gaining skills and experiencing things I knew not many people my age would be able to. I worked with the specialists in the blood department, the spine and orthopaedic department and I did ward rounds with the physiotherapists. I felt I could finally see things from the professional's perspective rather than the patient's perspective for once, although I used my experience to support this. I learned lots and I am very grateful I was given this opportunity. I am very excited as in the next couple of months I will be working in the hospital for a following two days for work experience and I cannot wait.

I am now going into year 13, completing my A levels and yes surprise surprise the girl in the wheelchair can do her exams because at the end of the day she's not just the girl in the wheelchair, she is Isabelle Everest soon to be a paediatric psychologist and yes, I changed my mind because I can do that too!

Before I sign off, I would just like to say a massive thank you to Evelina London because without their continued support from all departments I wouldn’t be able to do half as much as I do now so thank you very much!