Being accepted to Oxford was a life changing moment for this 22-year-old from Thornton Heath.

But if Leighann Nesbeth, an NHS admin worker, cant raise the 40,000 needed to pay for the fees, her dream may not become a reality.

Inspired by her work in the gynocology oncology department at Guys Hospital, she hopes taking a masters in Clinical Embryology at Oxford will set her on a path where she can help women struggling to get pregnant.

She said: I find with a lot of patients with ovarian cancer their fertility is affected, and going to an assisted fertility unit is the first point of contact before they have cancer treatment so they can preserve their fertility.

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I found I was really interested in that and I was looking for a positive way to impact the lives of women so fertility is definitely my calling.

Leighann was determined to pursue a career in clinical medicine from a young age despite being told by a teacher to aim lower.

Her sights remained high even after being rejected from medical school multiple times.

Instead she chose to study for a degree in Medical Physiology in Nottingham where she graduated with first class honours.

She explained that accepted to Oxford has boosted her confidence in what shes capable of, but the huge fees nearly stopped her from applying at all.

She said: When I did my research and I found out it was 40,000 I honestly wasnt even going to apply. I thought theres no way I could afford it. I spoke to my mum and dad about it and we thought it was just impossible.

It was only an encouraging message on the day of the deadline that prompted Leighann to submit her application.

There are some scholarships available, she said, but she wont know if she has been granted any until just two weeks before the day her fees need to be paid at the end of June.

In terms of the money, it does make me feel very disheartened, she said.

Its just such a huge barrier. If the only thing thats stopping me is the finance it seems like Ive come so far to just not be able to get it.

Leighann has raised just over 6,000 towards her target on her Go Fund Me page. You can help get her Oxford by donating here.

Do you have a story you think MyLondon should cover? If so, email danielle.manning@reachplc.com.

Here is the original post:
The NHS worker from Croydon who needs to find 40k to take up her place at Oxford University - MyLondon