'I don't want to be treated differently': Woman overcomes debilitating illness to complete degree

Despite being diagnosed with a debilitating illness at the age of 21, one woman overcame the odds and even managed to complete her degree.

Sharing her story with 8world, Nur Sabrina Binte Mohamed Khalid said she first started experiencing migraines and weakness in her legs five years ago. 

Her symptoms eventually became so severe that she had to borrow her grandmother's wheelchair to sit for her final exams at Republic Polytechnic. 

After her exams were finished, she went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for a medical examination.

She was then sent for an emergency operation but ended up in a coma for two months.  

"There were a lot of tubes in my body, including a feeding tube. [After I woke up] I couldn't speak and had to use a whiteboard to communicate with my family. I was also referred to a speech therapist," recounted Sabrina who is now 26. 

Sabrina found out she had tuberculous meningitis — an infection of the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord — and pulmonary tuberculosis. 

As a result of her condition, Sabrina says she is still unable to smile properly and is paralysed from the waist down. 

"Back then, I couldn't accept that this was my reality. I became distant from others, including my own family members.

I felt like I needed more time alone to heal before I could reconnect with others." 

Not wanting to be defined or limited by her illness, Sabrina plucked up the courage to challenge herself — by enrolling herself in PSB Academy's network security undergraduate programme in 2020. 

Due to how frequently she had to go to the hospital for check-ups, the school allowed her to attend lessons and complete her examinations virtually. 

However, she insisted that she did not want any other form of special treatment from the school.

"I didn't want to be treated differently, or be given deadline extensions for assignments all the time; I wanted to challenge myself in that aspect," she said. 

She also did not tell her classmates about her condition until the last semester. 

"It was really touching how they accepted me. I only met my teachers and classmates in person at my graduation ceremony. They recognised me immediately as I was the only one in a wheelchair," said Sabrina. 

Now that she has completed her degree, Sabrina is now a Quality Assurance Engineer at local company Business Buddy, which allows her to work remotely and has flexible working hours.

She has also received recognition from her bosses, who describe her as someone who is eager to learn and unafraid of stepping out of her comfort zone. 

ALSO READ: 'Don't feel inferior': PhD student in China works as delivery driver to support sick son

claudiatan@asiaone.com