Studies prove real tonic for Alex

May 21 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

THEATRE worker Alex Crawley, pictured, is setting the stage for a bright future after overcoming serious health problems to catch up on crucial studies.

The 20-year-old Darlington College student is targeting a career at the heart of sound and lighting operations for major concerts and other productions.

He is preparing to make his dream a reality despite undergoing a kidney transplant last year that left him unable to attend many lessons.

Alex, of Middleton-in-Teesdale, was born with dysplastic kidneys, meaning the organs were not fully developed.

He went through a transplant at the age of three and had to face another at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle last year after a slow deterioration in health started to catch up with him.

For Alex, who works part-time on stage sound and lighting at the Georgian Theatre Royal, in Richmond, the operation put a strain not just on his well-being but also on his studies.

He had completed the Level 2 course despite having regular dialysis but was due to miss a month of college work after starting Level 3 last September.

But a mix of his determination and the flexibility of college tutors ensured that he has now almost caught up on everything he missed - and is one step closer to pursuing his dream career.

Tutors continued to set work for Alex, who completed it and then had his mother bring him into the college every week to meet programme leader in electrical installation Tim Paver.

Mr Paver said: “We then had other tutors marking that work and we were giving him feedback on it. Obviously, Alex couldn’t come into the workshops to do any practical work but we were able to keep giving him the theory.

“He has more or less caught up with everything now and we’re incredibly proud of what he has achieved. It just goes to show what can be done in difficult circumstances.”