education

Updated: May 30, 2018 20:15 IST

Sixteen-year-old Ashmeet Bhatnagar has to stand 12 hours a day - not as punishment or part of exercise - but because he has a rare incurable disease that makes it impossible for him to sit.

Bhatnagar can either stand or lie down because of stiff joints. He has myositis ossificans in which calcification occur at sites of skeletal injuries.

He wrote the Class 10 CBSE exam standing and has scored 93.4% marks.

His father Sumeet Bhatnagar (52), who works in a private company said at the age of one, when he was given DPT vaccine, a lump was formed for which he had to undergo a surgery but his hip got stiff.

“Later, doctors diagnosed him to be suffering from myositis ossificans,” Bhatnagar said.

“Ashmeet may have a physical problem, but he is strong mentally. He loves playing cricket, badminton and chess despite the physical limitations and also has interest in photography,” Bhatnagar said.

Ashmeet has chosen commerce in Class 11 and wants to become a government officer.

For the Bhatnagars, Ashmeet’s condition was a double whammy after his elder brother Chaitanya (19) was found to be spastic. Chaitanya goes to a special school.

Ranjana Sharma, Ashmeet’s class teacher at Ryan International School, Mansarovar in Jaipur said he is a good student and always remains positive. “He is focused on his studies and despite having problems he behaves like other normal children. He is friendly and obedient,” she said.

Ashmeet attends his classes standing. The school had made a special table for him so that he can write standing during exams, his father said.

Dr S Sitaraman of government children’s hospital JK Lone said, “Progressive myositis ossificans is rare disease in which extra calcification takes place in body and gets collected at unusual places, as the result the joints get stiff.”

He said certain drugs were tried on Ashmeet, but results were not encouraging so there is no cure as of now. “The boy has to prevent himself from getting injured,” Dr Sitaraman added.