INSPIRING WOMEN INSPIRATIONAL ELLIE
This year, PC Ellie Downes was nominated for the Inspiration in Policing Award for her courage and commitment to the service, while she was diagnosed with cancer twice. We find out why Ellie got into policing and how she is keeping a positive outlook on life
Like most teenagers who finish school, Ellie Downes was still determining the right career path. After taking on a trainee solicitor role, she felt she wanted to be more on the prosecution side than defending. But, after a life-changing incident that happened when she was younger, which had a massive impact on her life, her drive was to become a police officer. Ellie relived the night she had to call 999
to get help for a family member who was suffering a mental health crisis. “Originally, I called the ambulance
service, but due to the situation, it was the police who arrived at the scene,” she recalled. “These officers that came were outstanding. How they spoke to my family and dealt with the situation gave us so much support and help. My mum will never forget the name of the police officer and how that woman changed her life. That was the driving force to become a police officer. If I could do something like that for one family, that would mean so much to me.” After two years, Ellie finally made her career aspirations become a reality; but whilst on her probation period, Ellie started to feel a nagging pain in her knee. She started to worry as one day when she was kneeling to apprehend a suspect, her knee was so bad she knew it could start impacting her job. After an MRI scan, Ellie was diagnosed with a rare form of osteosarcoma in her knee and would need to have several rounds of intense chemotherapy. “Though I was worried about how the chemotherapy would make me feel; it was more about losing my hair; the thought of losing my long blonde hair really frightened me,” she said. “I also knew chemotherapy would affect my fertility, which upset me so much, as I always wanted to be a mother and didn’t want that option taken away from me.” Fortunately for Ellie, the chemotherapy worked, and all the cancer cleared, but she felt she still wasn’t quite ready to return to
38 | POLICE | OCTOBER | 2023
work. Her immune system was down, and the surgery had left her physically disabled, with limited use in her left leg. “I wasn’t quite ready to come back but
had to go back to get paid; I had only been a year in the job and was worried I would lose it. I needed some patience from the force and some reduced hours as my fatigue was high, and I was still napping during the day.” Ellie was going to be dealt a second blow when, in December last year, she picked up what she thought was a nasty chest infection. On 17 January this year, she was diagnosed with secondary cancer after
“For such a young officer so early on in her
career, she is an inspiration to her colleagues and friends in the force. She has shown that even under the most extreme of circumstances, you can persevere and achieve your ambitions.”
finding two tumors on her lungs. “I knew what was to come but putting my family through it again – watching me be that poorly - didn’t feel fair. I started to go to a very dark place, where I felt it would be easier for everyone if they didn’t have to worry about me anymore.” But once again, Ellie’s determination and positivity pulled her through, and this time, before she started her second round of chemotherapy, she contacted a fertility clinic and was able to get 14 eggs frozen, offering hope of still becoming a mother one day.
Ellie also feels she is being better supported on her return to work this time. “I was able to express my concerns to my Fed rep, who has been absolutely amazing and has sorted out a lot of stuff for me to return back to work,” she explained. “I want to get into a detective role, so I will be joining a new department - the domestic abuse unit. I am really looking forward to going back.” Humberside Police Federation Chair Lee Sims said: “Ellie has maintained a, quite frankly, unbelievable attitude and strength of character throughout all of this. She has risen above so many hurdles, including her pay being severely limited, through no fault of her own. “For such a young officer so early on in her career, she is an inspiration to her colleagues and friends in the force. She has shown that even under the most extreme of
circumstances, you can persevere and achieve your ambitions. The positive change she has made among her peers is immeasurable.”
If you are struggling and need support, always contact your local Federation rep, who will be able to provide you with the best advice and support.
More information on osteosarcoma visit:
www.sarcoma.org.uk/about-sarcoma/ what-is-sarcoma/types-of-sarcoma/ osteosarcoma
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