No limitations for scholarship winner
Dianne Cornish, Review Staff
Published on
Nov 19, 2009
The word “limitation” doesn’t exist in Tricia Riddell’s vocabulary.
The 19-year-old Waterdown resident refuses to let rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rule her life. Diagnosed with the condition at the age of 12, she was forced to bow out of competitive figure skating, but soon found another outlet for her creative energies: music. She took up the trumpet, throwing herself into a rigorous program of musical training in the midst of a constant stream of doctor’s appointments, blood work, CT scans and physiotherapy sessions.
Although there were many days when it physically hurt to hold the trumpet, Riddell did not give up. Instead, she accessed the Arthritis Society, which helped by making a trumpet splint to support her wrist.
Riddell played the trumpet in every school band at Flamborough Centre Public School and Waterdown District High School (WDHS). She also joined the Burlington Teen Tour Band and performed at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California a couple of years ago.
Now enrolled in the music program at the University of Toronto, Riddell hopes to pass along her passion for music when she becomes a music teacher.
Recently, Riddell’s grit and determination were recognized when she was named one of 16 recipients chosen from close to 300 applicants across Canada for a UCBeyond Scholarship valued at up to $5,000 each.
The scholarship program, supported by Burlington-based UCB Pharma Canada Inc., recognizes students who overcome health challenges to pursue a post-secondary education. Recipients are chosen by an independent committee of physicians, nurses and patient representatives from across Canada.
Applicants submit a one-page essay outlining how they have gone beyond the boundaries of their disease, exhibited perseverance and empowered others.
In her essay, Tricia related experiences that show her determination to triumph over her RA. The day before she was scheduled to march in the Rose Bowl Parade, she had a flare-up. “The band had been working for about a year to become ready for the five-mile parade and I was not about to let my disease stop me from marching it,” she wrote. With the help of painkillers and the support of staff, friends and band members, she walked the entire route.
When she entered high school, she had “a slight relapse” which prevented her from climbing stairs, taking notes and participating in sports. So she got a key to use the elevator at WDHS, the school provided her with a laptop and she focused on other school activities, becoming a grade rep in the Student Government. Five years later, she was not only climbing stairs and writing notes, she was preparing to graduate with a 91 per cent average and was president of the Student Government and the Music Executive.
With the same hands that could very well have limited her six years ago, Riddell auditioned with her trumpet and was accepted into the U of T’s music program. The scholarship was used to help pay her yearly tuition of $16,000. “I thank the company (UCB Pharma Canada) for this scholarship,” she said, adding that she is also grateful for the support of her mom and dad, Dinny and John, and her family.
Riddell loves living in residence and enjoys having the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) and shopping nearby. She also enjoys playing in an ensemble with fourth-year senior performance majors and a brass band composed of other university and high school students. Ironically, she credits RA for opening doors for her.
“Arthritis is a part of my daily life, but in a weird way, it has become a good part of my life,” she said. “This disease has enabled me to see beyond my limitations and push myself to go beyond their boundaries. Arthritis has brought me music, it has enabled me to public speak for the Arthritis Society about Juvenile Arthritis and it has given me a better understanding of my life and the lives of others.”
In her essay, Riddell described how she has come to terms with her disease.
“Yes, I do know that I will always have arthritis,” she wrote. “But I will never let it define who I am or what I do as a person.”