When Martine McNee from Glasgow joined the Army aged 21, she believed it would be a career for life. Sadly, after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Martine’s dreams were cut short.
After feeling lost and struggling to adapt to civilian life, Martine, 50, has now found hope through The Open University Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund. She shares how studying for a qualification in Natural Sciences is giving her a second chance at a fulfilling career.
“I very much saw my life in the Army as a lifelong career as I enjoyed it so much,” said Martine. “Since 1994, I served in a specialist communications unit and was posted around the world in places like Bosnia, Croatia and Iraq.”
It was while serving that Martine started to struggle with her health and would sometimes drop items without reason or feel unsteady on her feet.
“I thought it was just tiredness, but then I started to get numbness in my fingers and had increasing difficulty in dismantling and loading weapons,” she said.
“Then one day my legs suddenly gave way under me and I crumpled and fell in the street. I underwent all kinds of fitness tests and was seen by a neurologist. In January 2018, they confirmed my diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.”
A life-changing illness
Only ten minutes after her diagnosis, Martine received a call to say she was being put forward for a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Sadly, she would never be able to achieve this career goal.
“My diagnosis was a huge blow,” Martine shared, “I understood what it meant for my career and everything I loved about serving the Army. I could only fulfil the promotion if I was deemed medically fit and in April 2020, I reached a mutual decision to be medically discharged from the Army.”
Martine admits that she felt incredibly sad to leave the career, friends and Army community she had always known. Feeling lost, she joined support groups for veterans dealing with MS, which is where she was encouraged to apply for an Open University scholarship.
Designed to support veterans like Martine, the Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund (DVSF) provides free access to study and specialist support so that veterans injured during or due to service can rebuild their lives outside of the military.
Martine describes feeling ‘overjoyed’ the moment she learned she had been accepted for a scholarship and would soon become a university student. “I was metaphorically jumping around my living room,” she said.
“I can honestly say that being awarded an OU scholarship has been an absolute godsend. The course has exceeded my expectations. It’s given me massive new life skills, confidence and self-belief. The support and motivation from the OU are amazing and I have my own personal support advisor,” she added.
Finding confidence and a new career
Now in the second year of a Natural Sciences degree, Martine plans to use her new qualification to pursue a career supporting others with life-limiting conditions. She said:
“I am focusing on Biomedical Science and would ideally like to specialise in Immunology and researching treatments for lifelong conditions like MS.
“My course should make me very employable and when I qualify, I intend to use my degree to make a difference to other people’s lives. The OU has arranged a special advisor for me from AstraZeneca to help guide me in all this.”
Life-changing scholarships are only possible thanks to the generosity of donors. To everyone who supports the OU’s fundraising, Martine had the following message of thanks:
“I’m eternally grateful to the OU’s donors for giving me a fresh chance and purpose in my life. If you can, please keep giving so that more disabled veterans who have served this country and come back damaged can be given the same opportunity.
“It’s a fantastic way of building back veterans’ self-belief and getting them back to the workplace.”
