Uttar Pradesh: Auto driver’s daughter with cerebral palsy joins MBBS in Kolkata's Medical College and Hospital

PRAYAGRAJ: Yashi Kumari always believed that her diability could only limit her physical mobility, and that she herself was the master of her thoughts, aptitude and interpersonal skills. Her firm conviction, backed by her auto driver father and a benevolent doctor, earned this 19-year-old Gorakhpur girl with cerebral palsy an MBBS seat in Kolkata's Medical College and Hospital, one of the oldest in Asia.
Yashi was diagnosed with dystonic cerebral palsy in her childhood and has problems in right upper and lower limbs. Though she has difficulty walking and doing work with right hand, she manages all her routine work.
“My parents learned about my cerebral palsy when I was in third standard. It came as a rude shock for them as they knew that I would not get a chance to live life as a normal kid,” she recalls, adding that her parents not only accepted the reality, but also embraced the challenges strongly.
“They saw a ray of hope when we came in contact with Dr Jitendra Kumar Jain in Prayagraj. He not only started my treatment, but also encouraged and supported me to pursue my education. I was always encouraged to do things that others thought could not be done by someone like me,” she added.
As Yashi’s father is an auto rickshaw driver with limited means, Dr Jain has been extending all kinds of assistance to the girl. “This girl has always been very positive, confident, laborious and determined to realize her dreams,” Dr Jain told TOI. “She was confident of cracking the NEET through hard work and perseverance,” he added.
After completing high school with 94 % marks, Yashi decided to move to Kota for NEET coaching in 2019 but the Covid pandemic shattered her dreams. She, however, didn’t lose faith in herself and started preparing in Gorakhpur through hybrid mode.
“I used to have multiple physiotherapy sessions every year and continued to visit Prayagraj,” said Yashi. "Dr Jain kept encouraging me to take the NEET and I cracked it in the first attempt," she adds. Her happiness knew no bounds when she got an MBBS seat under 'person with disability' category in one of the oldest medical colleges of Asia.
“My health issues undoubtedly acted as obstacles, creating hindrances in working with full efficiency and capabilities. But my constant urge to survive against all odds and prove myself helped me keep going during hard times. One should never lose heart even if you are ‘different from others’,” she says. "The challenges that I encountered during my journey have made me stronger, empowered and a resilient girl,” she adds.