LOOKING THROUGH THE LENS AFTER A STROKE
Ng Yap Tong who suffered a stroke a 42
After a stroke, professional photographer Ng Yap Tong picked up his camera reluctantly because he doubted his abilities. For the past 20 years he had been a successful commercial photographer, relying on two steady hands to take great shots for his clients. So when he returned to his trade 10 months after a stroke he was extremely nervous and hesitant. When he eventually overcame his fear and took on his first assignment, it turned out to be so successful that he has not looked back since. The 46-year old shares with Strokenews his appreciation and recovery process.
On December 28, 2014, I fainted at work and was rushed to hospital. I was highly stressed at work at that time…so stressed that I kept forgetting to take my blood pressure medication. I remained in a coma in hospital for a week. When I woke up I found out I had suffered a stroke. I was not able to move the left half of my body…I was devastated.
From then on simple things in my everyday life had to be done with the help of my family. I was divorced and my children, in their 20s, were my main carers. The dread I felt at that time was believing this was going to be my future, one where I would be totally dependent on my family even for the simplest thing. I couldn’t accept this and was emotionally very badly affected.
Fortunately for me, my family support was strong and positive. They set out to search for help and found NASAM Johor where I started my rehab in January 2015. Therapy was not easy. Everything looked so simple but was so hard to do. My therapist then, Gurnisha, was very encouraging. She always reminded me to be patient as I would achieve my goal in my own time.
A month after I started rehab, I was able to stand for the first time, take my first step and then start to walk…slowly. It was an amazing feeling. I was so happy that I cried. My family too was overcome with tears of joy. My therapist was so proud of me and motivated me further by praising my determination and courage.
As rehab progressed my body became more responsive and I gained greater mobility and functionality. I was driven to achieve more. One of the things that pushed me towards achieving what seemed impossible was a remark made by some people. They voiced out loud that I wouldn’t be able to hold a camera anymore and that there was no way I would be able to return to working as a commercial photographer. When I heard this I promised myself that this would be my goal – to prove them wrong – and set my heart on achieving it.
I began photography by taking pictures with my phone and in a short time moved on to using a digital camera. In September 2015, I received a call from a friend asking me to take photographs of his daughter’s wedding at Pulau Tioman. For a stroke survivor, it’s difficult to think that you can take nice photos when you have only one able hand. Also it’s harder to travel to faraway places such as Pulau Tioman. Initially I refused because I did not feel confident nor believe I could meet their expectations. However, my friend was so persistent that eventually I accepted. He gave me this challenging assignment because he wanted to help me regain my confidence. He didn’t mind all the additional arrangements he had to make because of me. On the day of the wedding I was nervous but managed to overcome this because of the constant encouragement of family, friends, the stroke community and my therapist. My three-day stay on the island turned out to be a fantastic experience and one of the best periods since my stroke attack. The shooting was fun, creative ideas flowed naturally and my confidence was boosted overnight.
After the photos were published on Facebook, I received many job requests, not just from friends but also the public. Some wanted personal photo shoots, others asked for pregnancy or family shots.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to those who put their trust in me and my work. I have no intentions of giving up on photography just because of a stroke! It is my passion, I intend to continue and give people pleasure from my creative work.
As for my stroke recovery…over the past two years I have started taking long walks as part of my rehabilitation. Currently I can do three kilometres. Walking as an exercise helps me to be more independent and increases my cardio. Now I am able to go out to buy groceries and cook for myself. I am also taking part in a lot of races, such as BiiB (a mobile platform to help people to get into running with exciting challenges) ‘100 KM 100 DAYS’ challenge. I won a lot of medals at these races. If you can’t run, you can walk. The most important thing is that you finish the race.
I would also like to thank NASAM Johor for providing me a place to come to for my rehabilitation. Many thanks to my former rehab therapist Gurnisha (now in NASAM Kedah) and the entire team who helped me during my road to recovery. My message to all stroke survivors out there is: YES! Rehabilitation is hard and needs a lot of persistence. But if you don’t PERSIST there’s no chance at all of recovery! And believe me… THERE IS LIFE AFTER STROKE!
Strokenews (Issue 3, September 2018), Pgs. 3 – 5
If you wish to view Ng Yap Tong’s amazing photo creations visit his Facebook at: tonggephotographer706