B.C. Grade 12 student wins prestigious scholarship, hopes to study brother's illness

Ella Chan knows how hard it can be to see a loved one battle an auto-immune disorder.

When she was 12 years-old, her younger brother Ethan was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome — a disorder where the patient’s body attacks the kidneys. Symptoms can be debilitating, and lead to kidney failure.

“Just seeing how it’s impacted my brother as one patient — I think in the future I want to help as many as people as possible, especially with his condition,” she told host Gregor Craigie on CBC’s On the Island.

Ethan’s battle drove Ella to understand as much as she could about the condition, and she’s since become immersed