From operation theatre to exam hall

On one hand, she was a student of Ryan International School, Goregaon, with dreams of cracking the exams and bringing laurels to her school and family. On the other hand, she was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor after sudden abdominal pain. The tests done, MRIs and CT scans called for urgency, and soon she was being wheeled in.

Unlike other students who were revising and solving papers of previous years two weeks before their board exams, Ritika Barat was in an operating theatre. On one hand, she was a student of Ryan International School, Goregaon, with dreams of cracking the exams and bringing laurels to her school and family. On the other hand, she was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor after sudden abdominal pain. The tests done, MRIs and CT scans called for urgency, and soon she was being wheeled in.

From operation theatre to exam hall

Ritika was discharged a few days before her first exam. “I was unable to walk, and I felt extremely weak and tired,” she said. To appear for an exam in such a state – could she do it? After all, this was the exams she’d been preparing for since the ninth grade, a big milestone for all students.

The 99.2% she scored says an emphatic yes. “In spite of all the mental and physical agony I was in, my family, principal and schoolteachers came to my support and motivated me to be strong. I made up my mind to not let my situation become an excuse and a cause of regret in the future.”

“No matter how much you study, life gives you the best lesson.”