Staffordshire teen who underwent pioneering surgery wins council’s Youth Endeavour Award
A teenager who was the first person outside America to undergo a life-changing surgical procedure has received this year’s Youth Endeavour Award from Cannock Chase Council.
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Abi Tomkinson, 13, is an inspiration to staff and fellow students alike at Kingsmead School, district councillors heard at their annual meeting.
She was born with Treacher-Collins Syndrome, a rare condition affecting bones and tissue in the face. She was just three months old when she underwent a life-saving tracheostomy.
In 2018 she made history when she became the first person in Europe to receive pioneering subcranial rotation distraction surgery to improve her airways. The process included detaching her face from her skull and performing a controlled break in her lower jaw.
She was nominated for Cannock Chase Council’s Youth Endeavour Award by Hannah Seymour, Assistant Progress Leader for Year Nine at Kingsmead School. At this month’s annual meeting Abi received a standing ovation when she collected the trophy from council chair Steve Thornley.
He said: “Abi is always smiling and positive. She works incredibly hard at school and takes her studies very seriously.
“She is an inspiration to everyone at Kingsmead and a truly beautiful person inside and out. It would be hard to think of anyone more deserving of this award.
“She takes it all in her stride and doesn’t let anything stop her enjoying her life. She is the epitome of what the Youth Endeavour Award is about.”
