AMONG the 4,500 students who will receive their diplomas from Ngee Ann Polytechnic at the end of this month will be two young men who very nearly did not make it to graduation.

One is Mr Saravanan A. Rajah, 22, who was in the third year of his banking and financial services course two years ago when he had a near-fatal accident.

The other is Mr Mohammad Zaki Jurani, 21, who suffered a major seizure last year and was in intensive care for three months.

But both of them made it with the support of lecturers who helped them catch up with their lessons as their bodies healed.

Mr Saravanan was hit by a 10-wheel truck in Jalan Anak Bukit while on his way to class. The accident left his body and his future in a wreck. His right leg, ribs and collarbone were crushed. His lungs were punctured and his brain was bleeding.

The former long-distance runner was bedridden for six months and wheelchair-bound for another 18.

He said of his helplessness: 'I couldn't step out of the house or go anywhere. I always had to seek assistance.'

At first, he decided to continue with his polytechnic course at a later date. But three months after the accident, he was seized by an urgency to complete his diploma.

'I was very scared about the future. At some stages, my condition worsened and my wounds were taking a long time to heal,' he said.

When he asked Ngee Ann Polytechnic if he could take his exam at the hospital, it did more than just allow it. When he could sit up in bed, five lecturers took turns to visit him to bring him up to speed with his school work.

A school counsellor provided emotional support. The school also arranged for financial aid to help him meet his medical bills.

Impressed by his attitude and performance, one lecturer recommended him for a six-month Citibank internship, which has since led to a full-time job as an officer with the bank.

Mr Mohammad Zaki, who has muscular dystrophy, missed six months of school because of the seizure he had.

When he returned to school weak, the polytechnic also arranged to have him tutored individually.

Because his hands grew tired easily, a lecturer was assigned to write the answers he dictated for his exams.

He has since completed his diploma in information technology.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on May 7, 2008.