Unfazed by health issues, Mumbai student appears for HSC exams

Seventeen-year-old Samson Collins, a Class XII student from Virar, is appearing for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams which began on Tuesday, despite all odds that have come his way in the last two years. In 2015, days before his Class X exams, Collins, then a student of St John's High school, met with a bike accident.

Samson fell off the bike and suffered severe injuries all over his body. Due to a clot formed in his left brain as a result of this accident, Samson's right body was paralysed and he underwent a major surgery. During his important academic year when most students were busy studying, Samson was trying to figure out how he would write the paper as he was unable to move his right hand. But with his sheer determination, he practiced writing with his left hand. He wrote all the SSC papers and scored 57 per cent in Class X. But the struggle did not end there.

Despite getting admission into the college of his choice —Viva college in Virar — Collins could not attend classes as he was down with typhoid during the first few months of junior college. Overcoming all these obstacles, Collins is now going to appear as a private student and will write all the HSC papers with his left hand. "I never gave up. In 2015 when I was struggling to even write the exam, I managed to pass it. The accident led to a lot of physical issues like limping in my legs, impaired speech and loss of strength in my right hand. When I thought I had come out of it, I got typhoid and was lying on the bed for days. But I never gave up. Now, I am confident about scoring well, due to my hard work" said Collins who is a Commerce student. The centre has given him one hour extra to complete his papers.