A Second Chance at Learning: Lewis Edon’s Journey

Lewis’ learning journey hasn’t been easy. In fact, far from it. After being diagnosed with a rare illness at eight and later leaving mainstream school due to injury, he found himself disconnected from both education and himself.

Through ICS Learn, he found a safe, flexible way to study – opening the door to confidence, qualifications, and new opportunities. This is his story. 

The Diagnosis That Changed Everything

When I was 8 years old, I was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called adamantinoma after a freak incident in my garden. While the cancer was confined to my right leg, it meant the bone was extremely fragile and that I couldn't bear weight on it.

I was just a kid at the time, so I didn’t fully understand what was happening. All I knew was that I’d gone from being "sporty little Lewis" to becoming reliant on a wheelchair almost overnight.

My routine changed completely, too. Instead of being dropped off at primary school with my siblings, I was often on my way to the hospital for last-minute appointments or scans.

At first, I can’t lie, I enjoyed the attention – the fuss from my parents and doctors, even the sudden popularity at school. But that didn’t last long.

Within a week, reality hit. This wasn’t something I was going to "get better" from. There was no end date. This was the new normal, and I had no choice but to adapt.

That’s when I panicked. 

By my tenth birthday, I had become suicidal. I believed my life wasn’t worth living. I thought I would never get better, never finish school, and never achieve anything. Or so I thought.

The next few years were a rollercoaster.

While doctors focused on my physical health, my parents fought just as hard for my mental wellbeing and, thankfully, they succeeded. During a very dark time, they found me a youth counsellor who helped me through my lowest moments.

Bullying and Barriers in Mainstream Education

In 2013, I started secondary school. By this point, the volume of my hospital appointments had dropped significantly, and doctors had determined that the only long-term option would be to amputate my leg. However, that decision would be mine to make somewhere down the line.

In the meantime, I tried my best to put my illness to one side and focus on school. I wanted to feel normal again – be around people my age, make friends, and just be a kid.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last, and things began to decline rapidly. I was the only student in a wheelchair (and boy, did I know it), and I was bullied for it. Not just by other students, but by my form tutor as well. 

For two years, I endured it, though. I tried to focus on why I was there, but it was incredibly difficult. My relationship with education changed completely. School became something I associated with fear, anxiety, isolation and, if I’m honest, hate. I didn’t want to learn anymore. I wanted nothing to do with it.

An Injury and a Turning Point

Fast forward to March 2016, when I’d spent the day out with my best friend at a military museum, followed by a fun afternoon at his house.

He was really excited to show me his new trampoline and, me being me, decided that although I was heavily disabled, having a go on a trampoline wasn’t something to be passed up, so I got myself to it and attempted a bounce! 

*SNAP* 

A sound I had been taught to fear my entire life. I knew instantly… I had broken my diseased leg.

After an emergency trip to A&E and repositioning surgery a few days later, I was told the break was so severe that I would never walk again. I became bedbound, confined to a hospital bed in my living room.

At 14 years old, I had to leave mainstream school.

Returning to Education at Home

I must admit, the first few months in bed were a blur; I was so heavily medicated I could barely do anything. Though as my leg began to heal and I came off stronger medication, I started to reconnect with my thoughts. My parents also began to help me slowly rebuild my education, starting small with documentaries and short trips, gradually rebuilding my relationship with learning.

These small steps helped me separate education from the trauma I had experienced at school.

Over time, those steps turned into strides. With physiotherapy and determination, it wasn't long before I found myself back on crutches and regaining my independence.

It felt like a fresh start.

Discovering a New Way to Study

I still had big dreams, but I needed qualifications to achieve them. Traditional schooling still felt overwhelming for me, both mentally and physically. So, my family and I began searching for alternatives.

That’s when we found ICS Learn.

What stood out to us was the ability to study my GCSEs in English and Maths entirely from home. This meant that alongside hospital appointments, I could still progress. Some days, I even took my studies into hospital waiting rooms!

It wasn’t just about learning in my own space; it was about learning without fear, without the bullying, without the experiences I had been through at school.

It was a no-brainer. I enrolled the same day.

At first, ICS Learn stood out for the ease of online learning, the real personal tutor support, and the pace I could work at as an individual – and of course, their accredited qualifications.

But ICS Learn gave me much more than that. They gave me confidence. They gave me purpose. And they gave me a second chance.

Life After ICS Learn: Confidence, Career, and Advocacy

Since studying with ICS Learn, my life has changed in ways I never imagined.

I’ve worked on three BBC TV shows, including Doctor Who. I’ve been involved in a cinema film, worked with LEGO and YouTube, and taken part in radio and TV interviews. I’ve even launched my own platform, Let’s Be Wheel, where I advocate for people living with long-term health conditions.

And none of this would have been possible without ICS Learn. Not just because they helped me gain my qualifications, but because they supported me as an individual. Even after my studies ended, they checked in on me.

That kind of support stays with you.

If I could say anything to someone considering studying in a similar situation, it would be this: your circumstances do not define your potential. There is always a way forward – you just have to find the path that works for you.

For me, that was ICS Learn.

Looking to learn on your terms? Enrol on a 100% online GCSE or A Level qualification today to get started.