SSC student, recovering from kidney transplant, to write exams without any help

Nathani started suffering from renal failure three years ago and eventually both her kidneys stopped working. She was on dialysis for a year till her father donated his kidney to her.

Nothing is going to stop Ashwini Nathani from appearing for her SSC examinations. The gritty teenager is recovering from a kidney-transplant done few months ago, but she has decided to write her own paper, without any help from writers or concessions such as extra-time.

Nathani started suffering from renal failure three years ago and eventually both her kidneys stopped working. She was on dialysis for a year till her father donated his kidney to her. During this time, she was studying for her board exams without any coaching.

The gritty teenager is all ready to appear for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams Tuesday. “Going for dialysis everyday was a challenge but my parents were there with me all the time,” said Nathani, a student of St Columba Girls High School, Grant Road. “I used to study for two-three hours at the hospital. My school supported a lot. They even allowed me to write a few papers from my home.”

Today, Nathani is confident of writing her own exams. “Closer to the exams I have been studying eight to nine hours every day. After exerting myself too much, I do feel a bit of weakness but I am confident of writing the exams.”

History is her favourite subject, but she is afraid of mathematics. “I have not yet decided on my career path, but I do know I want to find a way to make people happy. I also want to study the effect of music on plants. So I could become a doctor or a horticulturist,” she said.