{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Alanah Reid, Creative Content Producer","standfirst":"","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EIsabelle\u2019s loved Scouts ever since she joined Beavers aged 6. In October 2021, aged 11, she was diagnosed with \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/acute-lymphoblastic-leukaemia/\u0022\u003EAcute lymphoblastic leukaemia\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile having treatment for her illness, Isabelle took a few months out of Scouts. Even though she couldn\u2019t go to her usual sessions, she was keen to stay involved.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHer Scout leader gave her a box of activities so she could keep up with her badges in hospital. On the days she felt well enough, Isabelle even carried on practising ballet by her hospital bed.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHer attitude has been amazing, and she\u2019s stayed positive throughout. Her group were delighted to welcome her back in May 2022, and in June 2022, she resumed her Sea Scout water activities. Her \u2018never give up\u2019 spirit is truly inspiring.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe chatted with Isabelle to find out more about her story.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19407/isabelle-3.jpg","width":7360,"height":4912,"altText":"Isabelle is wearing her uniform and necker, holding a \u0027congratulations\u0027 certificate and an orange and purple \u0027never give up\u0027 necker. She\u0027s stood next to Bear Grylls, who\u0027s wearing an orange and purple necker, and they\u0027re both smiling at the camera.","caption":"Isabelle was chosen as one of Chief Scout Bear Gryll\u0027s Unsung Heroes this year.","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EHi, Isabelle. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m Isabelle, I\u2019m 12 years old and I live in Manchester. I\u2019ve been dancing since I was three and I started Beavers when I was six. I\u2019m now in Sea Scouts and I love it.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat motivated you to stay involved in Scouts and ballet while you were in hospital?\u00A0\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI enjoy Scouts and ballet so much, so I wanted to keep up with them both. It helped me when I was in hospital to keep doing things I\u2019d usually do and kept me feeling happy.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EHow were you able to stay involved in Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy leader sent me a box full of activities, so I could keep working towards my badges. In between treatment, when I was feeling well enough, I could join in with activities at our meeting place, as well as the water activities.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy group were very supportive, and they helped me do as much as I possibly could. My younger brother goes to Cubs each week, so my group kept in touch with me through him. He\u2019d come back with lots of news from them and he could tell them how I was getting on.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWas doing ballet in hospital different to your usual practice? Was anything harder or easier?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt was very different. Not having my teachers there made it harder, because they couldn\u2019t tell me if I was doing everything correctly. I had to spot my own mistakes and correct them. My teachers sent me videos of exercises for me to copy, so that was helpful.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome of my treatment meant I lost most of my muscle. At one point, I couldn\u2019t move, and I had to learn to walk again. I still get very tired after any exercise, but I\u2019m getting fitter every day. When I was well enough, doing ballet stretches helped my legs.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt was sad not to have my friends there to encourage me and make it more fun, but I got to focus on what I needed help with.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019ve not been able to go back to ballet class yet, because of my treatment and having more stays in hospital. I\u2019m still trying to practice as much as I can on my own, though.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EHow did you stay so positive?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt was hard to be positive all the time, but kind messages from my family, friends and Scout group really helped.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19405/isabelle-1.jpg","width":1286,"height":1382,"altText":"The image shows Isabelle sat in a kayak on concrete near a lake. There are two people in kayaks on the water behind her, with trees in the background.","caption":"Isabelle was excited to be back on the water with her Sea Scouts.","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EYou had a warm welcome back to your group this year. What\u2019s your favourite thing about being back at Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESeeing all my friends and volunteers again. They kept in touch while I was in hospital, so I was very happy to see them again in person. \u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year, I was able to go canoeing and to the opening game of the Women\u2019s Euros with my Scout and Sea Scout groups. I also took part in the Chorlton Remembrance Day parade last month.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat would you like to achieve next in ballet?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m excited to try out my pointe shoes again. I got them just before I was diagnosed, so I can\u2019t wait to improve in those.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat would you say to someone who may be going through the same or a similar experience?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s hard, but you\u2019ll get there. The days can seem very long, so try and keep up with your hobbies if you can. It\u2019s important to have activities to do each day, and to keep in touch with family and friends.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EIs there anyone who inspires you?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy parents. They\u2019re so supportive and they\u2019re always there for me. They help with Scouts and enjoy sports, so when I see them happy because of that, it encourages me to take part.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWe\u2019re so inspired by you, Isabelle. Well done for never giving up, putting on a brave face every day, and for becoming one of Chief Scout Bear Grylls\u2019 Unsung Heroes this year. We hope you can break in your pointe shoes very soon and carry on enjoying Scouts. \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"23 December 2022","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia","url":"https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/acute-lymphoblastic-leukaemia/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Unsung Heroes 2022","url":"/news/2022/september/bear-congratulates-his-unsung-heroes-at-birmingham-awards-day/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Awards and recognition","url":"/volunteers/learning-development-and-awards/awards-and-recognition/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Volunteer with Scouts","url":null,"newWindow":false}],"id":48729,"nodeName":"Isabelle\u2019s inspiring \u2018never give up\u2019 spirit","title":"Isabelle\u2019s inspiring \u2018never give up\u2019 spirit","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/19407/isabelle-3.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd2538e8c0","caption":"Isabelle 3","type":"jpg","size":8258845,"width":7360,"height":4912,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Isabelle\u2019s inspiring \u2018never give up\u2019 spirit","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Last year, Isabelle was diagnosed with Leukaemia. She was determined to stay involved in Scouts in any way she could.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODcyOSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2022/december/isabelle-s-inspiring-never-give-up-spirit/"}