My MIDLIFE CHALLENGE
She’d always loved crafting but Marion Beard, 63, from Bridgend, South Wales, didn’t realise how important those skills would prove
Asa child I was always bandaging up my dolls’ arms, but I didn’t dare dream of becoming a doctor. I came from a low-income family in Glasgow; Mum was a cleaner and Dad worked on the railways. More than once Mum said: ‘We’ll have to turn the lights off so we can pay for milk.’ But I did make it to university, one of only three out of hundreds in my school year, making my parents very proud. After gaining a degree in psychology, I worked as a speech therapist in a hospital setting.
Working alongside doctors rekindled my interest in medicine. They weren’t the godlike creatures I’d envisioned and I thought maybe I could be one, too. But I was turned down for medical school in my mid-30s, and told I was too old.
Maybe they’re right, I thought. Then, in 2001, I heard about a scheme for graduates in other disciplines at St George’s Hospital in London. When I found out I’d been accepted, I was thrilled but wondered how I could leave my husband and two sons in Wales to study in London. It was my youngest son, Sam, then 13, who said, ‘You have to do it, Mum!’ So I took up the place, staying in London from Monday to Friday and returning home at weekends. It was hard but we soon found a rhythm, speaking daily on the phone.
At 42, I was by far the oldest student, and found myself taking on a surrogate mother role. There would often be a late-night knock at my door from someone in tears because they’d split up with a boyfriend. In turn, I’d ask for help navigating the computer system!
There’s a school of thought that older people can’t manage the hand-eye co-ordination skills necessary for surgery, so it was a relief to find I was good at it. I wonder if it’s because I’ve always done sewing, knitting, crocheting and needlepoint; there’s a lot of crossover with the intricate work of surgery.
I graduated at 47 and went on to become a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology. Being older, I kept fit so I could cope with the physical demands of the job. I did lots of running and made sure I had a strong core for the physical work that’s sometimes involved with assisting births.
Age made me more emotionally resilient.
