Today's inspiration : Struggling to breathe, she passes Class XII Board

Neha, who needs 24/7 oxygen supply to just survive, came out with flying colours in her Class XII board

Neha Mehandiratta, 18, from Lucknow cannot breathe without a machine as she suffers from a respiratory syndrome that makes her dependent on a round-the-clock external oxygen supply. Even her speech is laboured. But Neha appeared in the CBSE Class XII Board Examinations and passed with the 50.26 per cent. "I could not write for more than an hour because of my respiratory problem. In fact, I answered only 60 per cent of the questions," she said. "I wanted to give my board examinations with everyone and I did all it would take to make that happen."

Neha's father Rajkumar, an auto-rickshaw driver, ensured her oxygen cylinder was always handy even in the examination hall. He recalls the day Neha continued to write her exam even after the oxygen cylinder she uses outside the house malfunctioned.

"She was giving her English paper when the oxygen cylinder did not seem to work. Everyone in the school, including me, went into frenzy," says Rajkumar. He had to sell his belongings to pool up Rs 38,000 needed for the oxygen machine that keeps Neha alive.

"It was in 2011, after her Class X results, that her condition deteriorated. She was admitted to the hospital in an emergency. But her condition only worsened," he adds. By March 2012, the doctors told Neha that she would need a supply oxygen supply round the clock.

"I just hope we find a cure to her problem," he says. He hopes Neha will grow up to become a police officer.