Young autistic woman sees dream of becoming a karate world champion come true thanks to help from Herdman Chemists

A young autistic woman is celebrating becoming a karate world champion with the support and help of her local pharmacy.

Katelyn Hibbert, 21, is autistic, but since the age of six has been helped to manage her condition through her love of karate.

She is currently a member of the international Kenshin Karate organisation and is a part of the Newbottle and Grangetown Sunderland groups.

Katelyn said: “Everyday things can be a challenge, but when I go to karate everything disappears. Whether training or in competition, nothing else matters and I’m focused on my karate and in a happy place.”

However, currently on benefits and with her mother a registered full time carer for her brother, Katelyn was struggling to meet the financial demands of her sport, particularly as her talents became recognised and she was ready to take part in national and international competitions.

With the WKA World Championships in Malta due to take place this spring (2024), last year Katelyn posted a message on social media with a plea for sponsorship from local businesses to help fund the costs.

Her request was answered by Ryhope based pharmacy Herdman Chemists, who have so far provided £1,500 of sponsorship to cover costs and help Katelyn to fulfil her dream of becoming a karate world champion.

Katelyn said: “I’m so grateful to Herdman Chemists. They paid for my flights to Malta and my accommodation as well as all my kit including four pairs of gloves, gum shield and spare outfits.”

Katelyn repaid her sponsor’s faith and support by taking gold medal and becoming world champion in the category for competitors with autism or other learning disabilities and silver medal in the overall competition.

She said: “I’ve always dreamed of becoming a world champion and thanks to the help of Herdman Chemists my dream has come true.”

Katelyn’s mother, Lisa Hibbert, 49, added: “The sponsorship also paid for all of Katelyn’s travel expenses to national competitions, before going out to the world championship.

“Without the support of Herdman Chemists, Katelyn simply wouldn’t have been able to do it. I can’t thank them enough.”

Katelyn and her family were already known to Herdman Chemists owners Ilyas Zaheer and Chris Vaughan as they provide medication for both Katelyn and her brother.

After seeing talented Katelyn’s post, they were keen to support her sporting journey.

Ilyas, 30, said: “We are both Sunderland lads and we had been thinking about how we can give something back to the local community and seeing Katelyn’s story on Facebook was an ideal opportunity to support a local person needing help.”

Chris, 40, added: “Katelyn is from Ryhope and so when we saw her post it just seemed like the right thing to do, although her achievements are fantastic and beyond our expectations.”

The business partners are now providing additional sponsorship to cover the expenses for Katelyn travelling out to Poland in October to compete in the Karate European Championships.

As part of their quest to “give back to the community”, Herdman Chemists is also currently sponsoring Ryhope Cricket Club.

Katelyn’s mother Lisa has also set-up a GoFundMe page to help cover the ongoing costs of her daughter's competition expenses.