Dealing with daughter’s illness inspired Sussex graduate to go to university

Dealing with daughter's illness inspired Sussex graduate to go to university. When her daughter fell dangerously ill, Kim Novis took it upon herself to learn as much as she could about her daughter's condition - and began a journey that will ultimately be of enormous benefit to other sick children. The 31-year-old from Brighton graduates today (Wednesday 10 July) with a degree in Biomedical Science and already has funding to carry on developing her research into why children have difficulties in taking medication for chronic illnesses. At the age of two Kim's youngest daughter Sienna was diagnosed and treated for Gradenigo's syndrome, a serious and potentially life-threatening complication related to infections of the middle ear. Following several months of treatment, Sienna, now aged eight, was cured. But Kim, who also has a 13-year-old daughter, Shanice, had spent so much time in the hospital and in libraries researching Sienna's condition that she realised this was the area in which she wanted to work. "I was a bookkeeper and had begun training to become an accountant before I had Sienna," she says.