Making the grade with straight A’s
Jenny’s joy as she overcomes illness
East Kilbride fundraising superstar Jenny Cook scored straight A’s in her exams despite missing a third of the school year through illness.
The 16-year-old, from Stewartfield, suffers from the debilitating inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and last year spent two weeks in hospital after doctors found an abscess in her pelvis.
Jenny also fell behind when she was too ill to sit her third year exams in preparation for her National 5s.
But, thanks to the “amazing” support from her family and teachers at Williamwood High, the future is bright for Jenny who has her sights set on a career in journalism after passing the fourth year exams with eight straight A’s.
“I didn’t expect to get straight A’s at all – I was aiming for 5 A’s and 3 B’s – so it was a very nice surprise”, she told the News.
“I’m not very good at maths and science and wasn’t really confident about many of them – last year I was off quite a bit.
“I was in hospital for two weeks and then when I went back to school I didn’t manage a full day for quite a while. And this year I missed quite a lot of school not feeling well.
“I just had to do a bit more work to catch up – my illness makes me more determined to do well.
“I wouldn’t have managed this without the amazing support from my school and my mum and dad.”
The inspirational schoolgirl’s incredible achievement comes three years after being hailed Young Scot of the Year after overcoming her illness to raise more than £100,000 for a children’s hospital.
After having her large bowel removed aged just five, the Young Ambassador for Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, made it her mission to improve life for fellow sufferers of ulcerative colitis.
Jenny organises fundraising events all year round from a specially customised fundraising office in her back garden – officially opened by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
And, to date, the selfless teen has raised nearly £350,000 for the hospital that continues to care for her, as well as Crohn’s and Colitis UK support charity the Catherine McEwan Foundation.
Earlier this summer the budding public speaker addressed her biggest crowd to date when she told her incredible story to 4000 delegates at the opening ceremony of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterologist, Hepatology and Nutrition in Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium.
At just 13, when she was crowned Young Scot, she secured a place at the prestigious St Andrew’s University, but Jenny tells us she has no plans to follow in the footsteps of the future King and Queen, William and Kate, just yet.
“I want to be a journalist when I leave school which you need two A’s and two B’s for, so I’ll aim for that”, added Jenny.
“Being a Young Scot of the Year if I get the minimum grades I could get into St Andrew’s, but I think it would be silly just to go there and do a course that wasn’t relevant to what I want to do. But, we’ll see, you never know.”
Jenny is now aiming to smash last year’s £21,000 total at her biggest annual fundraiser ‘Tea Jenny’ which takes place at Glasgow’s Hilton Doubletree on Sunday, September 8.
For tickets visit facebook.com/ teajennycook