Despite suffering from a severe lung condition, pneumothorax, Divyansh has bagged the all-India rank (AIR) 1 in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024 exam.
Divyansh comes from an army background. His father and uncle are in the Indian Army. "Our family has a history of serving the nation in the armed forces. Inspired by them, I also wanted to join the army and was planning to take the NDA exam. When I shared this with my father, he encouraged me to become a doctor and serve society differently," he revealed.
While preparing, he was diagnosed with pneumothorax, a condition where the lungs collapse, in July 2023, shortly after moving to Kota to pursue NEET. "One of my lungs had burst, so I was breathing with just one lung. I was hospitalised for a week. I returned home and focused on preparing for the minor test and scored 686 out of 720, despite the week I spent in the hospital,” he told The Free Press Journal (FPJ).
After his second minor test, Divyansh's condition worsened. His father took him to the Army Hospital in Chandigarh, where he was admitted for two weeks but showed no improvement. They then moved to Delhi for further treatment, where he spent another two weeks. Just as Divyansh began studying again in Kota after three months of treatment, he contracted dengue. "I was bedridden for a week due to dengue, and once I recovered, my mother fell ill with dengue. I took care of her and visited the hospital daily. I returned to coaching on Sep 15. Despite losing a lot of time, I started from scratch again. It took about 10-15 days to get back on track. Other students were far ahead in the syllabus," he recalled.
He further shared that he completed his NEET UG syllabus just two days before the exam due to medical challenges. "With two days remaining, I was tempted to revise. I reminded myself that if I forgot everything in three days, I wasn't meant to be a doctor. I played football to relax. On May 5, I attempted the exam with the mindset that whatever marks I get will be by God's grace," he added.
