[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/ramey_curtis_final.jpg” caption=”Barb Pegg, DeGroote undegraduate student advisor, with graduating Commerce student Curtis Ramey. Photo by Julia Thomson.”]

Curtis Ramey, who graduates from the commerce program at the DeGroote School of Business today, is like most new grads. He is proud he has earned his degree. He is looking for a job that is a good fit for him. He is relieved he made it through University.

However, for Ramey, that feeling of relief is different than for most graduates. Six years in the making, his new Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree was made extra challenging by a serious health problem that made finishing university and even surviving university uncertain.

Near the end of high school, Ramey was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. This disorder affects the connective tissue that provides support to many body parts such as the skin, muscles and ligaments. Due to faulty collagen — the protein which acts as a “glue” in the body, adding strength and elasticity to connective tissue — people with EDS often have fragile skin and unstable joints. In Ramey's case, he has Vascular EDS, which means that the walls of his arteries and veins are extremely weak.

Early in his first semester at McMaster, Ramey found out just what it means to have EDS. An artery in his arm ruptured, requiring an eight-hour open heart surgery. “I woke up in so much pain because all of my ribs had been broken [during the surgery]. They gave me a 20 per cent chance of surviving. I almost died.”

It was the beginning of October in his first year.

This first incident set the pattern for the rest of Ramey's time at McMaster. He had an aneurysm in his brain and nerve damage and paralysis in his left eye. He had to spend months in the hospital and miss semesters of school. Group projects were difficult. Making friends was hard.

“It's hard to bring up to professors and group members why you suddenly can't be there, but Barb Pegg and Denise Ellis [in DeGroote's Academic Programs Office] and the people at Centre for Student Development (CSD) were extremely helpful,” he explains.

Over the course of his degree, Ramey missed more than a year and a half. He nearly quit in 2006 when his sister Christine, who also attended McMaster, died of EDS. Christine, who had just one course left before her graduation, was awarded her degree posthumously at the Spring 2006 convocation.

Through summer school and perseverance, Ramey has earned his Bachelor of Commerce Honours. Now, he is looking for a job where he can put his degree in finance and minor in economics to use.

“I'd like to get into sales, because I like to interact with people,” he explains. “The hard thing is I can't work a 60 to 80 hour work week. I need something low stress, not the hardcore corporate stuff. It's tough to find a job that suits my needs.”

Over the course of a year, Ramey typically has two to three surgeries and spends about a month in the hospital. He has bought a house and plans to stay in Hamilton to be close to his doctors.

Once a very intense, active person, Ramey has had a big adjustment in terms of his everyday living. He no longer plays sports or does physical work. He takes it easy and focuses on maintaining his health.

“It's important to get your education, but you also have to make sure that you have a good life, a healthy life. You can only do what you can do.”