From patient to paediatric nurse: Sehanaj Kaur turns childhood inspiration into nursing career at UHCW

A woman inspired by the care she received as a child has taken the first steps into her nursing career at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.

Sehanaj Kaur, a newly-qualified children’s nurse on the Trust’s paediatric wards, spent much of her early life in and out of hospital after being diagnosed with Graves’ disease at the age of three.

The condition caused accelerated growth and advanced bone age, led to a bulging left eye and resulted in episodes of collapsing linked to its effects on heart rate and metabolism.

Growing up in Kent before later moving to Coventry, Sehanaj was later diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in her 20s, alongside Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD - experiences which affected her education and meant she did not achieve the grades she had hoped for at school.

Despite knowing from the age of eight that she wanted to become a nurse, Sehanaj believed for many years that her dream had passed her by.

That changed four years ago when she decided she would not let anything stand in her way and successfully applied to study Children and Young People’s Nursing at Coventry University.

“I can understand what these children are going through because I’ve been there,” said Sehanaj.

“It was the nurses who inspired me. My parents couldn’t always be there and it was the nurses who stayed with me, listened to me, comforted me and helped me feel safe.

“I saw them as the unsung heroes and I wanted to give back even a fraction of what they gave to me.

“When I didn’t understand what was happening, they showed me kindness and patience. Even when I was pulling out my cannula or wandering the ward, they never got angry - they just took care of me.

“They’d take me to the playroom in the middle of the night and made me feel cared for, never like a burden. That stayed with me and that’s the impact I want to have on children.”

Despite struggling in traditional academic settings, Sehanaj says university - and nursing in particular - allowed her to thrive.

She said: “I wasn’t very good at school but that didn’t mean I wasn’t capable, I just needed the right environment and support. University was different. My lecturers really listened to me and believed in me, especially when I doubted myself.

“Nursing is practical, hands‑on and compassionate and having such a large teaching hospital on Coventry’s doorstep gave me invaluable exposure to children’s nursing.”

Before pursuing nursing, she worked as a nursery nurse and later built a career in retail, rising to a management role at Lush Spa Birmingham.

Now working as a qualified nurse, she says achieving her childhood ambition still feels surreal.

She said: “That eight‑year‑old who decided she wanted to be a children’s nurse - she made it. I did it. And every day I put my uniform on, I’m reminded why I wanted this so badly.

“Nursing to me is about selfless service. If I can make even one moment easier for a child or their family, that’s a job well done - and that’s why I’m proud to be a nurse.”