Julie and John Berridge beat the odds to receive degrees at York Minster

9:20am Friday 13th November 2009

Exclusive By Mike Laycock

A COUPLE’S astonishing battle against adversity ends in triumph today when they are both presented with degrees at York Minster.

Julie and John Berridge, both 30, of Horner Street, off Burton Stone Lane, York, have succeeded on separate courses at York St John University despite both having to undergo major surgery in recent years.

John, a former Royal Engineer, suffered a severe back injury when a rocket propelled grenade exploded near him during the Iraq war of 2003.

His injuries included three crushed discs and two fractured vertebrae and he had to be flown on a stretcher back to Britain, where he had to lie in bed for almost a year.

He was medically discharged and eventually underwent an operation to insert a titanium disc and protective “cages” around his broken vertebrae. This has helped deal with the condition and enabled him to walk short distances, although he will still need to use morphine patches to control the pain for the rest of his life.

“I also suffer from flashbacks and nightmares caused by my experiences in Iraq,” he said.

“I used to lash out in my sleep. It’s now been diagnosed as post traumatic stress disorder.”

Julie suffered excruciatingly painful trigeminal neuralgia for a year after a blood vessel in her brain burst against a nerve, and doctors eventually operated to insert sponges to separate the blood vessel from the nerve, which greatly reduced the severity and frequency of attacks.

“My neurosurgeon said it is the worst pain you can get from a non-fatal medical condition. It’s known as the ‘suicide condition’ because it’s so bad that some people kill themselves.”

But the couple, who met when they were pupils at Huntington School and married ten years ago, refused to let their misfortune stop them entering academia.

Julie got a BA 2:1 degree in business management last year, narrowly missing a first class Honours degree, and has now got an MA in leadership and management. “I have been told I could go on to take a doctorate but can’t afford the fees,” she said.

John, who suffers from extreme dyslexia and left school with only one GCSE at grade C or over, has got a 2:1 degree in history, and hopes to go on to take an MA and would like eventually to become a lecturer in history. “I think I could bring a different perspective to it,” he said.

Julie said: “I’m really happy and extremely proud of John.” John said: “I’m proud of what Julie has achieved – despite her illness and putting up with me as well!”

Julia added that she and John would like to thank the Royal British Legion and the charity Combat Stress for the help they had given over the past year.