​Wheelchair captain nets exam success alongside winning penalty

​Wheelchair captain nets exam success alongside winning penalty

A DETERMINED teenager living with a debilitating illness, who battled severe health setbacks throughout her GCSEs, has stunned herself with a dazzling set of results.

Ellie Renton also scored the winning penalty in a nail-biting national powerchair football play-off in the middle of the exam season, despite coping with the effects of a rare muscle disease.

The 16-year-old Ripon Grammar School pupil lives with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 - a life-limiting condition that weakens her muscles and leaves her vulnerable to serious infections.

Yet despite repeated hospital stays, antibiotic treatments and missing a week or more of school at a time during flare-ups, the wheelchair user bagged a stellar haul: a grade 8 in chemistry, three 7s, four 6s and two 5s.

“I worked incredibly hard to fill the gaps in my knowledge and maintain grade 6s and 7s,” said the teenager, from Kirkby Malzeard near Ripon.

Although catching up on missed lessons was a constant battle, she had powerful back-up, she says, crediting her friends and brother William, an RGS pupil himself, with helping her crack tough subjects and keep her spirits up.

“They helped me catch up on complex topics and pushed me to achieve my best.

“I’m happy with my results and so surprised by an eight in chemistry!” beamed Ellie.

Proving she’s a superstar beyond the classroom too, powerchair football fanatic Ellie faced the ultimate test of nerve after she was handed the captaincy of a brand-new Middlesbrough squad, leading her rookie team to fourth in the regional league smack in the middle of exam season.

Her side crashed into a dramatic play-off decider for a spot in the national league after the match ended 1-1, then 2-2 after extra time, forcing a nail-biting penalty shootout.

Ellie stepped up to take her team’s final penalty – and scored the winning goal, securing their place in the national competition.

“I had to put my exam stress completely out of my mind. Securing our spot in the nationals filled me with overwhelming joy. Seeing the team give everything they had was an unforgettable achievement.

“Juggling the captaincy with revision was tough, but attending training remained a vital and enjoyable outlet for me,” she said.

Now Ellie is looking ahead. She’s staying on at RGS to study A-levels in art, geography and psychology plus an extended project qualification, with her sights set on a criminology degree.

“My school life hasn’t been easy, and I know the future will bring new challenges,” she said.

“However, overcoming these obstacles is exactly what drives me forward. I hope to carry this same resilient attitude with me into everything I do next.”