‘It’s not an old person’s disease’

BEING hit with a stroke at the age of 32 was something he did not expect at all.

For Joshua Lim Shaun Wu, it also happened when he was going through a difficult time in May last year.

He was caring for his grandfather who was admitted to hospital due to a fall.

After four days, Lim suffered a stroke and had to be admitted to hospital himself.

Sadly, his grandfather did not make it, but Lim managed to be discharged after several months of speech, occupational and physical therapy.

“I was discharged late last year with further doctor appointments every three months, ” says the former community manager and student services worker.

As the stroke impacted his communication skills, Lim says it took some time to ensure other people understood him when he tried to talk.

“We often think stroke is an ‘old person’s disease’. Well, it’s not.

“More needs to be done to inform and educate youths in Malaysia about stroke, ” he says.

Lim believes his underlying hypertension and existing medical conditions triggered the stroke.

“Also, I was stressed out – over my job, life and grandfather, ” he says.

But the incident did teach him many things – he now eats a healthier diet and monitors his blood pressure regularly.

Lim says perhaps, it was also a sign that he needed to slow down – he had spent 10 years in the United States before coming back in 2018 and immediately found a job in Malaysia within a month.

For Pang Sook Lee, 45, and a mother of three, a stroke hit her five years ago without prior signs.

“I went jogging every weekend, and had regular medical check ups, which showed good results.

“The stroke came suddenly after I didn’t get much sleep from the night before, ” she says.

Today, her left hand and leg has yet to fully recover but she is still able to do things independently.

“I can still drive my son around, go to the gym daily, buy groceries on my own and cook during weekends, ” Pang says.

Having survived the stroke, she hopes others will maintain a positive mindset and never give up if they are struggling to recover from an attack.

Ong Kian Leong, 45, a playground equipment salesperson, suffered a stroke when he woke up one morning in June this year and couldn’t stand up.

After his wife called the ambulance, he was rushed to the hospital.

“I’m better now but I can’t eat normally yet and the left side of my body is weak, ” he says.

“My advice to everyone is to look after their health, regardless of their age.

“Everyone should exercise and get sufficient rest, ” Ong adds.