'Having cancer did not stop me from graduating'

7 hours ago

Eleanor Maslin

BBC News

Staff at Castle Hill Hospital organised a graduation ceremony for University of Hull graduate Lilli Hales

NHS Humber Health Partnership A woman with curled blonde shoulder length hair is looking towards the ground and wearing a light yellow dress and gold necklace underneath a black graduation gown and cap. The back of the gown is blue and two women are smiling as they sort it out for her. You can see a brown building and shrubbery in the background. — Staff at Castle Hill Hospital organised a graduation ceremony for University of Hull graduate Lilli Hales

A woman diagnosed with cancer just weeks after finishing her degree was given a graduation ceremony in hospital.

Lilli Hales, 20, who had been studying drama and theatre at the University of Hull, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and admitted to Castle Hill Hospital at the end of June.

To ensure Ms Hales, who is from Hull, did not miss out on graduating, a ceremony featuring balloons, celebration cakes, a photographer and a marquee was held in the hospital grounds.

Ms Hales said not being able to be at her graduation in person was "disappointing" but added: "The decorations, live stream and cap and gown meant I'm not missing out and I still get to celebrate with my loved ones."

A cap and gown were sent from the University of Hull to the hospital for Lilli to wear on the day

NHS Humber Health Partnership A portrait photo of a woman with shoulder length blonde hair which has moved back a bit in the wind. She is smiling and wearing a low light-yellow dress with a gold necklace and a black graduation gown, cap and rolled up certificate in a box. — A cap and gown were sent from the University of Hull to the hospital for Lilli to wear on the day

Ms Hales described the event, which took place on Tuesday, as "nothing short of amazing".

It was the idea of Charlene Kent, a youth support co-ordinator at the hospital, who teamed up with Ms Hales' parents, Tracy and David, to make it happen.

This included arranging for the university's graduation ceremony to be live streamed at the hospital and for Lilli to join online via Zoom.

Ms Kent said: "It's really important to us to get to know our patients so we can care for the whole person and support their families and loved ones as well.

"It's been such a special event to be a part of, but it's nothing short of what this special young lady deserves."

Ms Hales had been working part-time at Starbucks and had received a 2:1 in her studies when she found out she had AML.

"I'd been feeling unwell for quite a while, I was pale and I'd been having dizzy spells, so I went to my GP who arranged a blood test," she said.

When she was asked back to the GP to receive her results, she said "things started to move really quickly" and she was admitted to the Teenage and Young Adult Unit at Castle Hill the same day.

"It all felt a bit surreal, like I was in a dream that I was going to wake up from and then find out it wasn't real," she said.