She Scores 7As Despite Sleep Disorder.

                                     
                       Melinda Tan dozing off as her twin-brother, Gerald Tan, watches over.


MALACCA- Even though she suffers from a sleeping disorder that makes her constantly doze off, this did not stop Melinda Tan Ming Hui of SRJK (C) Ping Ming from scoring seven As in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).

"I am so happy because I did not think that I would be able to do so well in the exams as I kept falling asleep in class," she said when met after receiving her UPSR Best Achieve­ment Award at a ceremony in SK Tanjung Minyak here yesterday.

Melinda's mother, Irene Tan, 42, said Melinda was depressed after she was diagnosed with narcolepsy.
"She felt very frustrated as she was unable to stay awake throughout the day.

"She came home crying everyday during the examination as she had to struggle to stay focused when answering her questions," said Tan, adding that Melinda fell asleep during her Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese papers.

Tan, a former finance manager at Nilai International College, said Melinda's twin brother Gerard Tan Ming Liang is hyperactive. Gerard scored six Bs and one C in the UPSR.

"It was challenging raising them and I eventually left my job to become a full-time mother," a beaming Tan said.

Another pupil who beat the odds was S. Sakthi Shanthi Sathamai of SRJK (C) Yok Bin who scored 7As.

She credited her teachers for helping guide her in her studies, especially Chinese.

"My husband decided to send her to a Chinese school as he wanted her to pick up another language.

"I am glad we did so," Sakthi's mother, Ananthi Selva said.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/11/12/nation/7411846&sec=nation