So Many Everests

This is the story of Victoria, a British girl born in Finland, who had a dream of becoming a doctor...

When she was born, she suffered brain damage resulting in cerebral palsy. To start with, it was uncertain whether she would be able to attend a normal school in Finland and, when she did, she was the victim of frequent bullying. She carried on, refusing to acknowledge any problems. At 11 she announced that she was going to be a doctor, but nobody believed it possible - not even her parents.

After two years of applications to medical schools in Finland, Sweden, and Britain she finally succeeded in getting into Medical School in Stockholm - only to be told after a couple of days that it had obviously been a mistake. She refused to give up her place, however, and continued her studies despite frequent pressure on her by staff and fellowstudents (often well-meaning) to give up because patients would never accept her and she would never be able to be a real doctor. Nor were her problems over when she finally did become one.

By now though, her goal was even higher: to be a specialist in Accident and Emergency medicine. To achieve this, she worked at hospitals in Åland, England, Stockholm and Helsinki. At last, in 2007, she realized her dream and qualified as a specialist in A&E - the first in Scandinavia.

So Many Everests is about Victoria Websters battles to become a doctor, her refusal to be beaten by anything or anyone and the many Everests she had to climb. Some aspects of it are horrifying, some moving, some funny and some, too, are about the enormous support that she received from a few people who believed in her. In spite of its subject matter, it is not a depressing story but one of hope.