STRESS is the word students use freely during exams.
But that does not come close to what Hajjah Patimah Beevhi Hajim Moorthar, 16, had to endure during her N levels in September.

She was so determined to sit for the exam that her family decided to postpone a live-saving operation.

Her liver has been failing since birth and she underwent a transplant last month after completing her papers.

During the exam, she was also worried for her mother who was donating part of her liver.

To make matters worse during the same period, Patimah came down with a bout of fever and had to see the doctor thrice in one day.

Fortunately she did not have exams that day.

But the normal academic student overcame the odds.

Patimah became Yuan Ching Secondary School's second best performer in the national examinations.

The results for the GCE Normal level examinations were released yesterday.


SURPRISED


She scored a distinction for Tamil oral, three A2s in Tamil, mathematics and combined humanities, and three B3s in English, combined science and principles of accounts.

A beaming Patimah said: 'I was really very happy and surprised. I didn't expect to be in second place.'

The result was the ultimate sweetener for the sick teenager.

She said: 'Everyone has her own problems, but if you keep thinking about them, you can't move on. I always don't think of myself as sick. I can still study, I can continue my normal activities.'

Patimah has been living with a defective liver since birth.

It presented itself in symptoms such as jaundice, a bloated stomach and occasional bouts of fever.

The thrice-a-day visit to the doctor for high fever, she recalled, was because the fever didn't go down. She had to return for stronger doses of antibiotics.

Her liver transplant was originally scheduled for October, but the family decided to let her sit for the exams and postponed the operation for a few weeks after doctors gave the go-ahead.


MOTIVATION



Patimah credited both her parents and her teachers for the results.

She added: 'My parents have always supported and encouraged me, telling me if you work hard you will get your due, so I always remembered that.

'All my teachers also helped by motivating and giving me confidence.'

Her father, Haji Moorthar Mahideen, 46, unemployed, said proudly: 'She's very hardworking. Despite being sick, the important thing is she wants to do well in school, so I'm very happy.'

The family of three live in a four-room HDB flat on Yung Loh Road.

Patimah described the operation as 'very painful'.

Equally pained was her mother, Madam Hajjah Jamila, 39, a housewife.

She had to contend with aches after 60 per cent of the right side of her liver was removed.

What's more, to be a suitable donor, she had to lose over 30kg from her 84kg frame through strict diet and early morning jogs.

She said: 'I wasn't scared about the operation, even though it wasn't a guaranteed success, I had the will to give her my liver, so I didn't worry.'

Physical pain aside, the cost of the operation - $80,000 as yet unpaid - weighs heavily on the family.

Mr Moorthar has not been working since 1998 after sustaining injuries to his spine in his earlier job as a goods driver.


FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE


The family currently survive on the public assistance scheme from the Community Development Councils, which provides them with a monthly grant of $535 for household expenses.

School expenses for their only child are settled through grants from the Ministry of Education, which pay for school fees and textbooks, and the Taman Jurong school childrens' assistance scheme, which provides her with about $500 each year.

Their HDB flat has been paid-up as the bulk of the payments were made before Mr Moorthar's accident.

What complicates matters now is that after the operation, Patimah has developed type one diabetes, as well as drop foot, a kind of paralysis in the muscles of the ankle and the feet.

Mr Moorthar said with a sigh: 'We are worried, especially given the operation costs and also with her current medication costing about $2,000 each month.'

He said he has used up his Medisave of $10,000 for his daughter and will continue to seek help from various agencies for her medical fees.


SCHOOL TO RAISE FUNDS


Patimah's education, however, will not be affected.

Her school principal, Mr Chia Chor Yann, 47, said the school is hoping to raise some money for her next month.

Mr Chia had only praise for Patimah.

He visited her at her home with vice-principal Christopher Gomez, 55, to pass her the result slip as she was still recovering from the operation.

He said: 'I want to tell other students that she is a fine student, a good role model. She will be an inspiration for our students.'

However, Patimah isn't about to rest on her laurels. She plans to do even better next year in her O levels.

Patimah, who aspires to become a doctor, said: 'I hope I can be a top student for the O levels, but I will need to work really hard. I would like to achieve even better results.'