THE future had looked quite promising for teenager Wan Fatin Ilyana Shaik Ahmad Nazri after she had passed her PMR (Penilaian Menengah Rendah or Malay for Lower Secondary Assessment) with fairly good results.
But life dealt her a cruel blow when she suddenly lost her vision the following year in 2017 as she entered Form Four.
To this day, Wan Fatin has yet to recover from her blindness and her world remains complete darkness.
It was a touching sight when Wan Fatin was led by her father after being called upon to receive a ‘Special Student Award’ from Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow at the 2021 Excellence Awards Ceremony for SPM and STPM high achievers at G Hotel in Gurney Drive yesterday.
Not many people know that she could not see at all.
The 21-year-old is currently taking up a degree course in Information and Records Management at the UiTM Punchak Perdana Campus in Selangor.
“I’m thankful to God that I got this award certificate and plaque. I did not expect to get excellent results.
“How I became blind is a mystery. Doctors believe my blindness has to do with a nerve disorder or glaucoma.
“For someone who has normal eyesight and then becomes totally blind can be unnerving. I went through a period of depression.
“But thanks to my family for their support, I managed to overcome it rather quickly. My dad even quit his job to take care of me,” said Wan Fatin, the youngest of three siblings, told Buletin Mutiara.
Shaik Ahmad said her daughter had seen several eye specialists, including an ophthalmologist at a private hospital in Penang.
“At the private hospital, a surgeon drew out some fluid from her spine. That was supposed to help reduce pressure on the spinal cord.
“After that, her vision came back. But unfortunately only for one week,” he recalled.
After their joy was shortlived, Shaik Ahmad said the surgeon proposed another operation, this time by using implants to restore vision.
However, he said the family after careful consideration, decided against it as they were not confident of its success rate.
Besides modern medicine, Shaik Ahmad said Wan Fatin also tried traditional medicine prescribed by Chinese sinsehs and others but to no avail.
Because of her illness, he said he resigned from his job as a section manager at Robert Bosch at the age of 57 in 2017 to care for her while his wife, Ma’wan Rashidah, continues to be the headmistress of SMK Sama Gagah in Permatang Pauh, Seberang Perai.
Wan Fatin is deeply loved by her family. According to Shaik Ahmad, she is the favourite grandchild of his mother, who is now over 90 years old, and also his brother, who had recently passed away.
“My brother was born without both legs and an arm. He was her biggest supporter and he used to give her words of encouragement,” Shaik Ahmad said.
It was not an easy start for Wan Fatin to learn how to cope with her studies after becoming blind.
She was sent to Sekolah Kebangsaan Pendidikan Khas Alma (SKPK Alma) to learn Braille for two months under one Cikgu Tan, then enrolled at SMK Alma in Bukit Mertajam.
Another new challenge came about three years ago when the Covid-19 crisis forced education systems worldwide to find other alternatives to face-to-face instruction. She then had to adapt to online learning like other students.
Shaik Ahmad said when Wan Fatin was in Form Six, her teachers would send PDF files to her daughter, who would then use a PDF reader app on her mobile phone to read the files. That was how she would learn about history and other subjects, he said.
Similarly, he said, that is how she is coping with her studies at the university that has never before seen a blind person in its enrolment.
What is striking about her is that she exudes a cheerful spirit.
Several other award recipients that Buletin Mutiara spoke to may not have travelled the same journey as Wan Fatin but they also worked tremendously hard to score excellent results. Thus, they too were awarded certificates of appreciation and some financial incentives from the state government.
One of them was Ng Wen Jun, a Chung Ling High School student who scored 10As including 7A+ in the SPM last year.
His father, Ng Kam Fook, is a famous badminton coach in Penang who has groomed many youngsters over the past 20 years.
In September this year after enrolling at Kolej Matrikulasi Pulau Pinang in Kepala Batas, Wen Jun took part in Karnival Sukan KAKOM (Inter-matriculation Colleges Carnival) in Malacca and ousted two Sukma players en route to winning the badminton singles gold medal.
“I would like to thank my teachers and parents for their guidance. I studied about five to six hours a day to prepare for my SPM. That requires self-discipline and a lot of determination.
“I hope I can get a place to study pharmacy at USM,” said Wen Jun, the eldest of three boys.
Gowri Ruttira Kumaran, 20, is another bright student. She made Kolej Tingkatan Enam Haji Zainul Abidin proud, scoring 4As in her STPM last year.
“I would like to thank my teachers, such as Dr Syamala, Puan Khor Yan Chien, Puan Saras, Puan Nazira and Puan Aniza for their guidance and dedication.
“My grandfather is also my inspiration. He instils in me the value of education. My ambition is to become a lecturer in economics or an economist,” said Gowri, who is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in economics at Universiti Sains Malaysia from October this year.
Brian Bong Neng Ye, 18, is looking forward to taking a short break after having just finished his Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) last week.
The Chung Ling Private High School student said he was surprised to obtain 10As (including 7A+) in the SPM.
“Most of the students in Chung Ling Private focus on the UEC exam. Only some take up SPM because it is something that is elective.
“To sit for both exams, I had to work a bit harder. So, the vital thing is time management. And I am glad that I got 10As which was not expected.
“My UEC results are coming out in January. I hope to further my study in Singapore and take up a course in data science or computer science and mathematics. I want to become a data analyst,” said Neng Ye, who is the only student from Chung Ling Private to qualify for the excellence award.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud