Off ventilator, gritty teen goes for board exam

Chandigarh: Thirteen days. That's how long 17-year-old Kanishka Bist lay on a ventilator in an intensive care unit, as machines breathed for her and doctors kept constant watch. On Friday, wheeled in on a stretcher, still hooked to an oxygen cylinder, she wrote her Class 12 board exam.No writer. Just Kanishka and her courage.
From critical care to classroom, and from a hospital bed to examination hall, Kanishka's grit has left everyone in awe.A student of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa Senior Secondary School in Sector 26, Chandigarh, Kanishka has been living with muscular dystrophy since birth. The degenerative condition has long made everyday tasks demanding, but the past few weeks tested her endurance like never before.Her father, Prem Singh Bist, a businessman from Zirakpur near Chandigarh, said the medical emergency began with what seemed like routine illness. "She started having a cough and cold on Jan 30 but her health worsened rapidly," he said.On Feb 2, she was admitted to a hospital in Panchkula. As complications mounted, she was referred to Govt Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. Soon, things got so bad that she was moved to the ICU and put on ventilator support."She was on a ventilator for 13 days. For nearly 10 days, she did not have proper consciousness," Bist said. "Even after the ventilator was removed, she was facing blood pressure issues and severe weakness."For most, the focus would have remained solely on recovery. For Kanishka, another date loomed large — her first board paper, physics"On Thursday evening, she told us she wanted to give her board exam on Friday," her father said. "We were stunned but admired her determination. She was very clear that she did not want to miss the exam."The family rushed to coordinate with school authorities and the examination centre, a govt school in Manimajra, around 10km away. Given her medical condition, the Central Board of Secondary Education granted her an extra hour. "During her Class 10 boards as well, we had taken an hour extra from CBSE because of her health issues," he said.Kanishka bravely chose to write the paper herself. "Since it all happened at the last moment, we could not secure permission for a writer from CBSE," her father added.With four more examinations to go, Kanishka now balances recovery with preparation. Her elder brother and family remain a constant source of support. "Doctors are positive that she will improve further," Bist said. "After what she has shown us, we believe she will."On Friday, as other students walked into the examination hall, admit cards in hand, Kanishka arrived on a stretcher, accompanied by medical staff. In that quiet room, her answer sheet became more than an academic exercise — it became a testament to a teenager's refusal to let illness write her future.