GENDER
female
AGE
22
NAME
Amy
HOBBIES
Hillwalking
Climbing
Skydiving
BACKGROUND
Being a young adult with burns is never going to be easy- it’s the time in our lives where we are most image conscious, and worrying about what people think of us. I am not unlike anyone else in this respect, and so university was a scary prospect for me! I wondered if people would treat me differently because of the way I looked, or if it would be hard to make friends. However these worries were put to rest as soon as I arrived!
I am currently a student at the university of Edinburgh where I study philosophy and theology, as well as participating in many of the clubs that the university has to offer. I am a member of the hillwalking club, climbing many of the Munros of Scotland, as well as being an active member of the university’s skydiving club, through which I have met people from all over the country by traveling to different parachuting centres. All of these people have always accepted me for who I am, and have been completely confident and comfortable in my abilities to participate in the sports alongside themselves. Whilst people do sometimes ask me questions about my burns, I have found that I have actually become much more able to talk about it, due to the acceptance of everybody that I have come into contact with.
Putting myself out of my comfort zone and transitioning to university has definitely helped with my rehabilitation after the burn injury, and has made me happy to realise that people notice my burns far less than I imagined they would, and are pleased to have me as part of their communities and friendship groups despite my changed appearance.