The Healing Power of Sport
How a multisport goal is helping a medical student overcome a traumatic year and achieve her dreams.
For Claudia Kelly the past year has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. One of the major highs is that Claudia is one of 30 students and the only New Zealander this year to be given a place at Oxford University’s prestigious School of Graduate Medicine.
The 24-year-old self-employed personal trainer and former Auckland University student is a keen runner and cyclist and has recently decided to take on the Coromandel Classic to fundraise the money she needs to make it to Oxford as the four years of tuition will cost around $250,000. Being on a self-imposed $20/week budget is just adding to the challenge, but Claudia has managed to get some much-needed running shoes at cost price thanks to the Shoe Clinic on Ponsonby Road.
Being accepted into Oxford was a fantastic and unbelievable end to a traumatic year of loss and upheaval for Claudia. After losing her Phd supervisor in a cycling accident and consequently aborting her research plans, she decided to travel solo through India and South East Asia to gain some perspective and reassess her future. Unfortunately her trip turned into a nightmare when she visited Cambodia.
“I'd met these locals who told me their sister was going to move to Wellington. I agreed to meet her the next day to talk because they said she was really nervous about it,” said Claudia
When Claudia arrived at their apartment the following day, she was greeted by a group of individuals who said their sister was at the hospital looking after their mother and would return shortly. In the meantime, one of the brothers offered to teach Claudia how to play blackjack to pass the time.
"At first they gave me some chips and said we were pretend gambling" said Claudia.
“Then all of a sudden they turned nasty and said I owed them $US64,000 and I had to pay them before I left the country the next day. I went into shock and I was shaking and crying and yelling at them. They were very threatening and I was terrified not to obey them.”
The scammers drove Claudia to a Western Union and forced her to withdraw $US10,000 before taking her to an Internet café to transfer her savings into her cheque account so she could withdraw more money from ATMs.
She handed over $24,000 before the thieves finally let her go at around 3 in the morning.
Although she was warned by locals that a trip to the cops would be in vain, Claudia visited a police station the next morning as soon as they opened. When she told police what happened they accused her of being drunk or taking drugs before the incident and demanded she pay them if they were to pursue her case.
With the help of friends and family and using the services of the British High Commission, Claudia was able to escape Cambodia and return home the next day.
After nine months of battling with her insurance company, Claudia has only recovered half of what she lost.
After overcoming depression and anxiety attacks following the incident, Claudia is frantically trying to fundraise the money to pay Oxford University’s course fees. She has decided her calling in life is to be a surgeon and help improve the health and lives of people at home in New Zealand, and abroad in developing countries. She is determined to do whatever it takes to make this happen.
Claudia is holding an auction night in Ponsonby on July 13th and is asking the public to donate items or services to auction or to come along tothe event. The auction is being held at the home of Janet Wilson and Bill Ralston, Claudia's fitness clients and Bill will be speaking on the night. She is also inviting the public to sponsor her for the Coromandel Classic.
Anyone interested should email claudia: claudiaphoebe@hotmail.com