WHEN Arav Kumar crossed the stage to receive his Bachelor of Nursing earlier this week, the applause around him felt like more than just a celebration — it felt like survival.
Arav grew up in a home where resilience was not a choice but a necessity. His father, once a security supervisor, suffered a stroke last year caused by hypertension.
“It was quite hard,” Arav recalled.
“My mum became the breadwinner. She used to send us money every week so I could at least buy groceries. It was difficult, but somehow my parents made it happen.”
His mother found work as a caregiver with Prestige Care, balancing long shifts, home responsibilities, and the stress of a sick husband.
“Thanks to my mum, we managed to cope with our daily needs,” Arav said.
“If not for her, I don’t know how we would have survived.”
On top of full-time nursing studies, he worked during his semester breaks — waiting tables and bartending at a restaurant to help support the household, to help ease his mother’s burden.
“I realised after my dad’s stroke that nothing comes easy,” he said.
“It’s not like everything is on a plate for you. When your parents are ill, you must face reality. Things are expensive; nothing is cheap nowadays.”
Despite the challenges, Arav remained focused on the idea that pushed him from the start: to be able to care for others the way he wished others could care for his father.
And this year, his family saw a turning point — his father has gradually recovered through massage therapy and ongoing treatment.
“This degree is not just mine,” he said quietly.
“It’s my mum’s, for working every day without complaining. It’s my dad’s, for fighting to get better. And it’s for my little brother, because I want him to know that even when life is hard, you can still make it.”
