Specially-abled girl who tied rakhi to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath beats all odds to score 95.8%

LUCKNOW: Staying true to her name, Pratibha, a Class 10 student battled physical challenges, heavy medications and denial of admission by a number of schools to score 95.8% in her ICSE Board results declared on Saturday.
She was among a few students who had tied rakhi to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on August 15, 2019, at his residence and was gifted a school bag by him.
Suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), caused by a defective gene for dystrophin (a protein in the muscles), a class X student of St Joseph College Pratibha Yadav didn’t give up, fought hard to overcome the physical challenges and scored 95.8% in her ICSE board results declared on Saturday.
It was constant support from her constable father Tej Bahadur Yadav that motivated her not to consider herself weak. A resident of Ashok Vihar, Pratibha inspires to become a civil servant.
“She is on a wheelchair and is completely dependent on her mother for routine work. Constant health issues and heavy medications had depressed her. I made her understand not to let her physical challenges overpower her mental strength. She is a bright and hardworking girl and now it’s proved from her percentage,” said a proud father Tej Bahadur.
He said Pratibha was diagnosed DMD when she was 12 years old, the main symptoms of which include progressive weakness and loss (atrophy) of both skeletal and heart muscle. Even to attend natures’ call she needs her mother’s support, he said and added the disease has impacted her ability to sit, stand, or walk. I am proud that without any tuition she has scored so well. I am thankful to all her teachers and schools for giving her admission and guidance, he added.
“Had it been a regular examination I would have scored more. My success is not only due to my hard work alone, but also because of my teachers and parents. I aspire to be a civil servant,” Pratibha said, adding that “my success mantra was sincerity and finding positivity in every challenge. A negative mind can never concentrate well.”
Pratibha’s father has appealed to private schools to support such students and shouldn’t deny their right to study.
Founder manager of St Joseph College Anil Agarwal said, “She has proved the proverb right that ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’.”