Maharashtra Class 10 exam results: Teen girl fighting cancer scores 81.60%

Thane/Palghar, June 17 (PTI): Fifteen-year-old Divya Pavale, who was detected with cancer while undergoing tests for coronavirus at the peak of the pandemic, was all smiles as she managed to score a creditable 81.60 per cent in the Class 10 exams conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, the results of which were declared on Friday.

She was in Vakalwadi in Pune when her COVID-19 tests, prompted by frequent bouts of cold and cough, returned negative but further examination by doctors resulted in her being detected with cancer.

She returned to Thane and had to make several trips over nine months to the premier Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel in central Mumbai for cancer treatment, which included several chemotherapy sessions, blood transfusion on 14 occasions and platelets 15 times, kin said.

Her parents told her to skip Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams this year but Pavale, a student of Saraswati Secondary School in Thane city, was adamant and confident she would overcome the trouble caused by her ailment and do well, they added.

Incidentally, even on the day of results, she had to go to TMH in Parel for a treatment session, kin said.

The SSC pass percentage in Thane district was 97.13 while it was 97.17 in Palghar.