Meet Robyn, Zillo’s Courage Champion
This is Robyn. She’s 15, she lives in Upton with her family and last year she received a life-changing medical diagnosis.
After falling ill, Robyn was diagnosed with Addison’s disease, a rare autoimmune condition that affects the adrenal gland and how the body produces hormones to survive. Symptoms can include fatigue, weight loss and low blood pressure, making it difficult to do certain things.
Robyn said:
It was a scary time, I was only 14. We’d never heard of Addison’s disease.
Robyn was discharged from hospital after 10 days, with a new condition to navigate, and a daily regimen of medications and steroids to get her head around.
With her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expedition coming up, it looked unlikely she’d be able to take part. But just two short weeks later, she embarked on the challenge in her wheelchair, and astounded friends, family and her school community with her determination.
Robyn’s mum and dad, Fiona and Steve, were blown away by their daughter’s physical and mental strength.
Fiona said:
She was literally days out of hospital. She had to dig deep to do it. Her friends talked about cancelling their expedition, but they all wanted to carry on and help her do it.
Robyn said:
They changed the route to make it accessible for me, and my friends learnt how to give me my emergency medication, what to look out for if I needed help and we had plenty of rest breaks.
Robyn’s determination to complete the challenge, alongside her friends, led to them all receiving Guiding Hero Awards from the County Commissioner.
Since then, Robyn has continued to wow those around her. She volunteers at Brownies and Guides, supporting others and contributing to her community. She’s also become involved in research at Edge Hill University for young people with Addison’s disease, playing an active role in shaping future treatments for the condition.
A committed student and strong friend, Robyn was last month recognised for her bravery and tenacity at a prestigious awards event. The Zillo Awards are run by Zillo – a website built for Wirral young people by Wirral Council in partnership with Wirral Metropolitan College. The awards night shines a light on the talent, resilience, kindness, and passion of young people across local communities.
One of 130 young people nominated for an award, Robyn was named as the ‘Courage Champion’, much to the delight of her friends and family.
Fiona said:
Steve and I were just bursting with pride, to hear the lovely things that were said about her and to see her recognised like that. But actually just the whole evening, any one of those kids could’ve won it, their stories were amazing. To see it was our Robyn made it so special.
Robyn said:
I wasn’t expecting to win anything, so it was a really nice surprise. I’d like to say thank you for the award, but I’d like to thank all my friends who helped me. They are the best friends I could ask for, I’m so grateful to them.
Congratulations to Robyn, and all the winners and nominees at this year’s Zillo awards.
For more information on the awards night, visit: Wirral’s Young People Shine at the 2025 Zillo Youth Awards — zillowirral.
