Jesmin’s fighting spirit shines through

FLASHBACK: Jesmin in hospital

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ALMOST two years ago Jesmin Begum was on a life-support machine at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

But she made a miraculous recovery and yesterday achieved a superb set of GCSE results at Radclyffe School - despite missing weeks of lessons — and was only disappointed she didn’t do better.

Teachers were full of praise for the inspiring 16-year-old, whose family feared she wouldn’t survive after she was hit by a lorry on Broadway, Chadderton in September 2010.

The Westwood youngster suffered serious head injuries, including a fractured skull and lay in a coma, which made her miss the first term of Year 10.

Her family, including three sisters and two brothers, feared she could be handicapped.

She said: “I don’t remember how the accident happened. I was in a coma for 13 days but was in hospital for a month and then I had to stay at home for a while.

“When I went back to school I was only doing two lessons a day until Christmas; then I could go back full time.

“My timing was off when I was doing the exams.

“I didn’t finish the English exam and I knew I had left a 16-mark question and the same with general studies. My memory isn’t as good as it was, but the doctor said that’s normal after cases like this.”

Jesmin, who achieved 3A, 1B, 2C and 3D was overwhelmed by the kind comments made by her teachers on results day.

Religious studies teacher Sarah Chadwick said Jesmin was “a total inspiration”.

She added: “When you consider the time she had out of school and the recovery time — to come back after having missed so much to achieve what she has is brilliant.

Maths teacher Angela Reynoldson designed a catch-up course for Jesmin, who she called “an absolute star”.

“To think she was off school all that time and got a B — and then re-sat and got an A.

“She was never deterred at all”

Jesmin is now going to Oldham Sixth-Form College to study psychology and sociology and is still deciding on the other two subjects.


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