ICSE, ISC success stories: Not cowed down by ailment Brave hearts beat adversity, score full marks in grit

While many students were on cloud 9 after the announcement of ICSE and ISC results, a few others celebrated their victory over the odds. Not cowed down by ailment, they scored full marks in showing grit, determination and added a chapter of success to their life by writing the board exams even when they were advised not to do so.

Shashwat Shukla, 18, a student of City Montessori School, combatted stage 3 tongue cancer to score 66% marks in the ISC examination. His will guided him to take the examination despite his parents wanting him to rest.

The boy discovered a blister on his tongue five months before the examination. At first, it felt like any other blister, but on the advice of doctors, he along with his parents travelled to Mumbai to get it diagnosed for any signs of cancer.

“We went to Mumbai with a plan to return after a week, expecting Shashwat’s reports to be negative. On finding it to be a stage 3 cancer, we decided to stay back and get his surgery done. He underwent a major surgery in October and continued to get radiation and chemotherapy for the next few months,” shared his mother Alka Shukla who is an HR official at a private organisation.

Sharing his story, Shashwat said he was constantly supported by his parents, teachers and friends. “At one point of time, it felt like the end of the road...but the advice of one of my friends, Urvi, stayed in my mind throughout my treatment - that I must bounce back and keep going. When I decided to write my examination, everybody was against it as they felt it would be an extra burden on me. But I was adamant to take the examination,” said Shashwat who aspires to become a doctor.

Priyanshi Singh, 16, another student at City Montessori School who scored 95.20% marks in ICSE examinations, suffered Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM), a chronic condition in her left ear, which led to fluid collection behind her ear drum causing unbearable pain since November last year.

“The pain was such that I could not lay down for more than three years at a stretch and had to sleep in a sitting position. I was on heavy medication/steroids for three months from December to February. I underwent the first surgery in December, after which doctors said the condition was rare and required a second surgery in January. Three ossicles were removed from my ear as they corroded due to the condition...I faced several post-surgery complications,” she said.

The post-surgery complications included facial paralysis, orbital cellulitis – a condition in which one cannot open eyelids as they get swollen, and sinus.

“I was in hospital for almost a month in January and was administered intra-venous injections thrice a day. The board exams were set to begin on February 18, but doctors told me that I won’t be discharged before February 27. I went against the doctors and my parents’ wishes to take the examination and was discharged on February 16, at my own risk,” said Priyanshi.

“I was taken care of by a nurse at home for 10-15 days. I studied whenever I found time...was admitted to hospital even in between my exams due to various medical conditions. But I somehow managed to pull off my examinations with support of my parents, teachers and friends,” said Priyanshi who aspires to become an aeronautical engineer.