Enduring daily dialysis spurs Denise to study harder

GEORGE TOWN: While most students struggled to cope with their studies for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations, M. Denise, 17, had much more to contend with.

The petite, angel-faced girl undergoes eight hours of dialysis every night since her kidneys stopped functioning when she was 12.

“The teachers and principal (Lim Yen Lee) here at Convent Green Lane were very helpful.

“I was allowed to come to school at around 9am to 9.30am and on days when I had to miss school, my two best friends helped me catch up with the lessons,” said Denise after collecting her results at the school hall yesterday.

She said she studied one-and-ahalf hours daily in preparation for the SPM but rarely felt overwhelmed with the task at hand.

“Compared with dialysis, I actually think SPM is harder,” she joked.

Denise achieved four As overall — A+ in English and A- in Moral, History and Science.

She also clinched a B+ for Bahasa Malaysia and a B for Principles of Accounts - a grade she was pleasantly surprised at.

“I only took tuition for accounts and that was the subject I was most worried about,” she said.

Denise, who is an avid reader, said she was thinking about pursuing a career as an English teacher.