radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Hospitalised just days before the Secondary Entrance Assessment exams, cancer-stricken pupil Sidara Akalloo was unable to sit the exam at the Grant Memorial Presbyterian School yesterday.
But instead of being depressed about it, Sidara has shown remarkable resilience and is happily looking forward to writing the SEA supplemental exam on April 20.
Clearly motivated by her strength, Sidara’s classmates at Grant Memorial sent her messages of encouragement just before they walked into the exam room.
Speaking to Guardian Media, her mother Sumatee said, “This morning, the messages of support have been pouring in from her teachers and friends. They’ve been sending her voice notes and cheering her on. She is better, much better!”
As she assisted with filing papers at Sidara’s school, Sumatee said it had been Sidara’s dream to walk into the SEA examination room but last Friday, she developed pancreatitis, liver dysfunction and jaundice, which led to her being hospitalised on Saturday.
Through her pain, Sidara kept giving hope to her parents and motivation to her fellow SEA classmates.
Sidara had told Guardian Media last month that it was the upcoming SEA examinations that had helped her to cope with her illness. Although her parents wanted her to rest and get better, Sidara was determined to not let cancer stop her from achieving her best at SEA.
“We didn’t want her to write the exam, but she insisted. We wanted her to stay back in Standard Four and she was like, ‘No mommy, I’m going to write this exam',” Sumatee said.
Just days before the exam, Sidara had also seen the body of her cancer-stricken friend being taken out of the hospital ward. This made her willpower to survive stronger than ever before.
Sidara wanted to live and she remained determined to write the SEA exam in memory of her friend and four other students also stricken with cancer.
Sumatee said it has been a rough time for the family but Sidara’s strength kept them going.
“She made the percentage to write SEA just before she fell ill. She is retaining water and still she smiles, waiting on her kisses. I am here asking God to let her survive if it is just to realise that one dream of writing SEA. She wanted it more than ever,” Sumatee explained.
She described her daughter as amazing and special.
“Even when she’s in pain, she’ll still say ‘mommy, let me do this’… I’ve never seen her lay down and cry in all these 11 months… never,” Sumatee said.
Every day, Sidara takes a cocktail of medicine administered orally at home.
Her parents take turns commuting from Princes Town to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, where Sidara undergoes a routine lumbar puncture procedure to check cancer cells or for infection in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Sidara was diagnosed with cancer on April 20 last year and underwent ten months of chemotherapy. She suffered brief memory loss, two bouts of pancreatitis, pneumonia, low oxygen levels and was unable to walk for nine months. However, a month ago, she started walking again.
Sidara says celebrating the small things in life matters. She says even the fact that she is still breathing is an accomplishment.
Sidara believes her willpower and faith in God will allow her to realise her dream of writing the SEA on April 20.