Consistency was the key to overcoming obstacles
WHEN her mom was medically boarded a few years ago, Shanthini Naicker, together with her older sister, Prema, helped care for her.
“My mom was a nurse for over 20 years and when she was medically boarded I started giving her her medication, while Prema checked on her dietary needs.
“Added to this, we monitor her blood sugar levels and pressure and, when necessary, ensure she is nebulised,” said Shanthini, 17, who matriculated from Isipingo Secondary School with 7 As.
She said her eldest sister, Meg, was a radiographer and this also motivated her to study medicine.
Shanthini, of Isipingo, who has been provisionally accepted to pursue her studies at UCT, intends on specialising in anaesthesiology (the study of anaesthesia or aesthetics).
Her next choice, she added, was to follow in the footsteps of her father, Ravi, a chemical engineer.
For this, she has been provisionally accepted at UCT and Wits and is leaning toward the latter.
Shanthini, who is enjoying her free time spending quality time with her family at the movies, game reserves or chatting about life and everything else at home, said she needed the well-deserved rest.
“Balancing and managing a personal and school life, as well as caring for a sick parent, was a challenge, but I worked consistently throughout the year and not just in the final.”