For most people, graduating with a First Class Honours degree is a proud achievement.
For Cork woman Orla O’Connor, it means so much more.
It represents years of determination, resilience, heartbreak, recovery and an unwavering refusal to let a debilitating illness define the rest of her life.
This week, Orla celebrated completing a four-year Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences with First Class Honours, an incredible accomplishment that comes after decades of living with endometriosis, a condition that left her in chronic pain and forced her to put large parts of her life on hold.
Looking back on the journey, she can hardly believe how much has changed.
“In five years, I had endometriosis excision surgery and completed a four-year BSc in Public Health Sciences with First Class Honours,” she said.
“I started this all to help improve care for endometriosis patients in Ireland and that remains my goal.”
For Orla, the degree is not simply a qualification. It is proof of how far she has come.
For years, Orla battled symptoms that many women with endometriosis know all too well. The condition, which affects approximately one in ten women, occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the uterus, often causing severe pain, fatigue and a range of other symptoms.
In Orla’s case, it stole much more than her physical health.
“For almost my entire life, I have lived in pain and parts of my life were stolen from me by endometriosis,” she said.
The impact reached into every corner of her life.
Simple things that many people take for granted became difficult. Work became challenging. Family life was affected. Social plans often had to be cancelled. Every decision was shaped by pain and uncertainty.
Years passed while she searched for answers.
Like many women with endometriosis, she encountered setbacks, frustration and a healthcare system that often struggled to provide the specialist care she needed. Previously, she has spoken publicly about having only a handful of good days each month, with the rest dominated by symptoms that affected her ability to live normally.
Eventually, after years of suffering, Orla made a decision that would change her life.
She travelled abroad for specialist endometriosis excision surgery, a procedure that many Irish women continue to seek outside the country due to limited access to specialist treatment. The surgery proved transformational.
The difference was immediate.
The chronic pain that had overshadowed her life for decades finally began to lift.
For the first time in years, she was able to look beyond simply surviving each day and begin thinking about the future.
That future included something she had always wanted to do, return to education.
Many people would have taken the opportunity simply to enjoy getting their life back. Orla did that, but she also decided to channel her experience into something bigger.
Rather than walking away from the years she had spent navigating illness, she wanted to understand how healthcare systems work, how patients are supported and how change can happen.
She enrolled in a Public Health Sciences degree.
Returning to college as a mature student can be daunting at the best of times, but doing so after years of health struggles brought its own unique challenges, with assignments, exams, deadlines and long days of study often accompanied by moments of self-doubt, personal sacrifices and periods when the workload felt overwhelming, yet despite it all, she remained committed to her goal and kept moving forward.
One assignment became another. One semester became another year.
Before long, she found herself surrounded by classmates who became friends and supporters throughout the journey.
“My beautiful classmates, not only are you bright minds but wonderful human beings and it has been an honour to take this journey with you all over the last four years,” she said.
As graduation approached, Orla knew she had achieved something significant.
What she may not have fully appreciated was just how inspiring her story had become to others.
For many women living with chronic illness, Orla’s journey serves as a reminder that life does not have to stop because of a diagnosis.
For women currently struggling to get answers about their symptoms, it offers hope.
For mature students wondering whether it is too late to return to education, it proves that extraordinary achievements can happen at any stage of life.
Most importantly, it shows what can happen when somebody refuses to allow years of adversity to define their future.
Orla is quick to acknowledge that she did not make the journey alone.
She credits her family and loved ones for standing beside her throughout both her illness and her academic journey.
“There are so many people to thank,” she said.
“There are so many people I am truly privileged and honoured to have in my life.”
She paid special tribute to her parents, extended family, Kieran, Julian and Milo, describing them as her world and her biggest supporters.
“I would never have gotten here without the support, cheers and belts up the arse,” she laughed.
Behind the humour is a deep appreciation for the people who helped her keep going during difficult moments.
Now, degree in hand and armed with first-class honours, Orla’s focus remains firmly on the future.
While many graduates spend time considering their next move, Orla already knows exactly what she wants to do. Her ambition is to improve the lives of people living with endometriosis and help shape a healthcare system that better understands, supports and treats those affected by the condition.
The degree was never simply about personal achievement or academic success. From the moment she enrolled, it was driven by a desire to create meaningful change and use both her education and lived experience to advocate for better care for women across Ireland.
“I started this all to help improve care for endometriosis patients in Ireland and that remains my goal.”
It is a mission rooted in lived experience.
Having spent much of her life battling chronic pain, searching for answers and navigating the physical and emotional toll of a condition that often goes misunderstood, Orla understands first-hand the challenges faced by thousands of women living with endometriosis.
She also knows the difference that proper treatment, support and understanding can make, because she has experienced that transformation herself.
Today, the woman who once spent years fighting simply to be well enough to get through the day is graduating at the top of her class.
It is a remarkable achievement.
But for Orla O’Connor, it may only be the beginning.
As she celebrates a degree earned through hard work, resilience and determination, she is already looking ahead to the next chapter.
“Onwards and upwards,” she said.
“There is so much work to do.”
And if the last five years are anything to go by, there is little doubt she will continue making a difference.
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