STROKE DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE BY AGE...
Stroke survivor 15-year old Lee Yong Xian
On June 29, 2017, a day before his 14th birthday, Lee Yong Xian was dealt a cruel blow. He was at home trying to reach out for his mobile phone which was on a table nearby, when his right arm went weak. His first thought was it was just numbness or maybe due to tiredness. But minutes later when he tried again…he still could not get it to do what he wanted – which was to reach out and pick up the phone.
Next he tried calling out to his cousin for help. This time he noticed that he had difficulty in mouthing the words. No sound came out of him. At this point he sensed something was very wrong so he decided to look for his older brother who was upstairs. He made it to the stairs and managed to climb some steps before falling down. On hearing a commotion, his brother rushed down, carried him downstairs and phoned their mother.
A frantic mother, Tew Kat Yee, rushed back from work and took her son to the nearest hospital. In the car, he had a bout of vomiting and eventually lost consciousness. In the hospital he was diagnosed as having a haemorrhagic stroke and the doctor advised the family to allow for an emergency operation. He underwent surgery about five hours after being admitted.
Yong Xian regained consciousness four days after surgery. He was in ICU and when told he had had a stroke he was totally unaware of what to expect. He just assumed the worst was over and that he would get well soon. He didn’t dwell much on the fact that he couldn’t move his right limbs or speak. He accepted what had happened and remained light-hearted and positive about his recovery.
His mother stayed in the hospital and looked after him while his 60-year old grandmother looked after the home and his two younger brothers. After a week he moved into a normal ward, and was discharged two weeks later. Yong Xian left the hospital in a wheelchair and was dependent on his family members to care for him. His father, who was working in Singapore, returned every weekend to help out.
Before his brain attack this young teen, a Form One student of SMK Semambu, had no health issues. His day began at 5am with breakfast, after which he was off to school. When he returned about 3pm he would have some food, bathe and then set off on his bicycle to his friend’s house for a chat and play board or phone games, basketball or badminton. He usually returned home by 6pm for dinner and rest or would attend tuition classes. His interests then were drawing, basketball and watching Japanese animation on TV.
Two months after his discharge from hospital Yong Xian began rehab at NASAM Kuantan. He recalls his first session: “I was feeling very nervous as I didn’t know what to expect. By then I had been off school for two months and was not in contact with any other people other than my family members and was still in a wheelchair. I could not speak very well. It took a while for the words to come out of me.
Strokenews (Issue 4, December 2018), Pgs. 3 – 6