5 minute read
The Cunningham-Hills: A Global Family
By Craig Whitney
Photos by Shannon Lynn Photography www.ShannonLynnPhotography.com
Mark and Jackie Cunningham-Hill first met working in the same hospital in northern England. Before they met, their separate paths had taken them to Singapore, the Middle East, and all over Europe. But they managed to return to northern England in time to meet each other. Their passion for travel would continue from there, take them around the world together, and instill a passion for exploration and discovery into their children.
The Cunningham-Hills at their home in Newtown Square (left to right): Jackie, Mark, Melissa, Matthew (not pictured: daughter Edwina)
As a child, Mark lived in many countries because his father worked in the Royal Air Force. Mark attended 11 different schools in Singapore and the Middle East. He said so much moving around made it hard for him to feel especially connected to any one place, but it also gave him a love of travel and exploration that he still has today.
After graduating high school, Mark went to the University of Manchester and completed a five-year program in Medicine. Unlike the medical schools in the United States at that time, the University of Manchester offered a five-year program that led directly to a position in a hospital. Mark then worked as a House Officer, and gained expertise in family medicine, pediatrics, and gynecology. By his third year, he was spending some time working as an Emergency Room Physician.
Jackie grew up in northern England. Immediately after graduating high school, she went into a three-year Nursing program. At that time, Nursing programs in England were more similar to vocational training than coursework for a college degree. The program included the opportunity for Jackie to work as a Nurse-in-Training at a local hospital. She lived with some of her classmates in apartments connected to the hospital.
Between Jackie’s three-year Nursing program and becoming a full-time nurse, she briefly left nursing and worked in London as a Flight Attendant. For several years, that job took her around the world. She eventually returned to that same hospital, to work again as a full-time Nurse. And that’s where Jackie and Mark finally met. After dating three years, they got married in a small village near Manchester.
After they got married and before they had their kids, Mark and Jackie moved to Oman, where Mark managed 10 health centers around the country. To reach those centers, he had to travel down dirt paths or go by boat. The work Mark did provided a great service to all areas in need. After a year in Oman, Mark and Jackie moved back to England, to start their family. Mark’s love of travel was now something he and Jackie were and still are passionate about.
Soon after returning to England, their first child, Matthew was born. The family of three then moved to southern England, where their two daughters, Melissa and Edwina, were born. When the kids were 13, 11, and 7, the family decided to move to Berwyn, PA.
The Cunningham-Hill Family (left to right): Matthew, Mark, Jackie, Edwina, and Melissa
The language and social differences were especially challenging for Matthew. He was 13 at the time, and had a big transition to make. He hadn’t played American sports like baseball and football. He talked with one of his teachers, who approved his request to start a school Squash Club if he could find six friends who were also interested. (Squash is a British sport that’s similar to Racquetball.) Matthew and his friends started and grew the new Squash Club steadily every year. It has become such a popular sports program in the high school now that the Squash team competes with schools all over the country. Matthew went on to graduate as an M.D. (Medical Doctor), and is now a resident surgeon at Temple University Hospital, with plans to specialize in Vascular Surgery.
Melissa, now 28, is the most-outgoing of the three. During high school, she enjoyed performing in school plays and musical productions. She attended James Madison University and graduated with a degree in Public Health. The following year, she studied the Accelerated Nursing Program (ACE) at Drexel University, graduating in just 11 months. She now works at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and will gain a Master’s degree as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner by the end of this year.
Edwina, 24, is the youngest and most creative and artistic in the Cunningham-Hill family. As a child, she was interested in art, photography, music and dance. While a student at Temple University, Edwina was able to explore her many interests during a semester in Rome and also by working full-time during a semester off from classes. When she graduated, she was immediately accepted into an internship program at an Internet Marketing company in Philadelphia. Before the internship ended, the company offered Edwina a full-time position. She still works there, and now has an extensive client base of her own. She still finds time to travel at every opportunity.
After their children all finished college and settled in the Philly area, Mark and Jackie decided to look for a home nearby. While driving through Newtown Square, Jackie fell in love with the community and the house they decided to buy.
Mark and Jackie are especially fond of the shops and restaurants in The Shoppes at Ellis Preserve. Their favorite is Paxos’ Firepoint Grill.
Mark owns Worldwide Health Consulting, an Occupational Medicine consultancy company, which transforms and builds healthy companies from his Newtown Square office.
For the past 15 years, Jackie has been working full-time as a residential Realtor® with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Devon. She serves clients on the Main Line and surrounding areas. She enjoys her job immensely and loves working with sellers and buyers.
The Cunningham-Hills are truly a global family, having lived on four different continents and visited over 70 countries. In addition to their health care work in Oman, Mark and Jackie also volunteered, through the Rotary Club of Newtown Square, to travel to Liberia and provide support for local communities whose residents need cleft palate repair surgery.
Jobs and passionate interests took the Cunningham-Hills literally all around the world: from Manchester to Oman, Singapore, and Rome. Their travels helped them all agree that they found a special home and community in Newtown Square.
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