Fate always tried its best to shatter her spirit; but failed every time.

Restricted to the bed with a body paralysed from the waist down since birth, Mary Shahina hailing from Maradu made it a habit to fight the odds and kept her spirits up writing poems.

That determination shone through in the smile the 25-year-old had on her face when she received a modified gearless scooter from Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the district revenue adalat held in the city on Friday.

The vehicle is nothing but a godsend to her. Having passed her SSLC examinations 10 years ago and despite being good at academics, Shahina had to stop studying due to restricted movement. But never one to say never, the youngster cleared the Plus Two studying from home a couple of years ago.

The scooter will now help her pursue B.Com at a private college at Kumbalam. “I want to secure a bank job after completing my graduation,” she said looking at her prized possession.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by M.P. Praveen / Kochi – February 28th, 2015