Kannur: It was a dream come true for Dr Asna, when she put stethoscope on the chest of a 5-year-old at a state-run hospital, here on Wednesday, as a doctor.

Asna had faced life-challenging circumstances, like losing her one leg in a bomb blast as a 6-year-old. She was playing at her home when a bomb thrown by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker in a clash with equally violent CPI-M activists, hit her on September 27, 2000.

She had to undergo a surgery and live in the hospital for the next three months. And when she walked out, she had been fitted with an artificial right leg.

While in the hospital, she decided to become a doctor. But it was never an easy walk. While her father stood like a pillar of strength, others too came forward to help Asna achieve her goal. Philanthropists contributed Rs 15 lakh towards her study.

After clearing her Class XII, she joined a coaching institute, cleared the medical admission entrance examination and enrolled at the Kozhikode Medical College to study medicine.

But the life was a daily struggle. When then Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy came to know Asna had to suffer pain and difficulty in using stairs to her classroom, he sanctioned Rs 38 lakhs and got a lift installed at the college.

When the local authorities announced a vacancy at the state-run clinic near her home, she applied and topped the selection.

Stating that it has been a long arduous journey for Asna and the family, Nanoo, her father, who was at the hospital to witness her achievement getting fructified, said in an emotion-choked voice, "We are all happy."

IANS