A sporty teenager with diabetes was celebrating receiving a string of top GCSE grades today.
Will Palmer, who has ambitions to play county hockey, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes six years ago and has a glucose sensor and insulin pump to ensure his blood sugar levels remain steady.
The 16-year-old, from Menston, Ilkley, has enjoyed debating and sports at his school, Bradford Grammar (BGS) which he’s balanced with his academic studies.
His heath condition meant he was in a room on his own during his exams which allowed him to pause and eat some sugar if needed. Today, his hard work paid off with 10 GCSEs – including four 9s, three 8s, two 7s and a six.
“I’m really pleased with my results,” he said. “Because of the technology and everyone supporting me, my diabetes has never really got in the way of anything I’ve wanted to do.
“During the exams all the staff were really considerate. There were only a couple of times I needed to take a minute. I could have needed sugar a lot more because of nerves but I didn’t.
“I’ve thrown myself into everything I could at BGS, particularly lots of sports and I’m looking forward to a West Yorkshire hockey trial so hopefully I’ll be playing for the county soon. Over the past few years, BGS boys’ hockey has grown rapidly and we’ve recently toured to South Africa which was great.”
William is now looking to study Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths A Levels at BGS.
“I’ve thrown myself into everything I could at BGS, particularly lots of sports…”
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