Stroke hits at any age
In conjunction with World Stroke Day, two young people recount how their lives turned upside down after they suffered a stroke.
PETALING JAYA: Kalaivanan Manimaran was 19 years old when he suffered a stroke that left him mute and paralysed on the right side of his body.
For the past four years, his father Manimaran Kaliperumal has been caring for his now 23-year-old son, who was diagnosed with subacute left middle cerebral artery territory infarction.
“He had a carotid artery block on the left side of his neck that prevented oxygen supply from reaching his brain. Eventually, doctors decided not to remove the clot as the risk could include memory loss, blindness, and he may also fall into a coma,” he said.
Many presume that strokes only hit the elderly. However, even the young can be afflicted. The good news is, recovery is possible.
According to the National Stroke Association of Malaysia (NASAM), stroke is a brain attack that occurs when blood supply to a part of the brain is blocked or interrupted.
There are two types of stroke. The first is ischaemic, where the arteries are blocked by blood clots, while the second is haemorrhagic, where the arteries become weak and burst.
Manimaran said that the first six months after Kalaivanan’s diagnosis, he was completely bedridden and was wearing diapers.
“It hurts me because he is so young, energetic and full of life, but was completely paralysed,” he lamented.
He recalled how his son, who is a motorcycle enthusiast and is interested in car mechanics, collapsed while he was taking a shower.
“We panicked and quickly rushed him to the hospital. Then the next day he underwent brain surgery.
“That was when doctors told me he had a stroke where his left brain was damaged,” he said.
After Kalaivanan was discharged from the hospital, his father had to help him move around.
“I had to carry my son, who is taller than me at six feet and weighed 96kg, to the shower. It was very tough,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Manimaran said he tried everything to make his son walk and talk again.
“We sent him to India for traditional treatment. We also travelled to Kuantan to plant an ‘artificial skull’ on his brain that was operated on,” he said.
Manimaran also said he took his son for physical and speech therapy sessions.
“I cried every day. When I went to work I cried in my car, when I got off work, I continued to cry,” he said, adding that he had to put on a tough front at home for his wife and mother so that they would not break down as well.
Kalaivanan, the youngest of three siblings, was initially frustrated and depressed at his condition.
The father said his son was also reluctant to leave the house, but that has changed.
“There is huge improvement now ... he smiles, he can walk, he can vocalise his name, and a few words like ma (mother) and pa (father). He previously could only mouth ooh and ahh,” he said.
“I am just grateful that he is still with us. It could have been worse, he could have died.
“I take comfort that he is here.” Human resource executive Terrence Mok suffered a haemorrhagic stroke in 2015.
Unlike typical stroke survivors who experience some sort of paralysis, Mok was diagnosed with global aphasia with complex comprehension.
“I have problems recognising numbers and forming complex sentences. People are impatient with me and it has been very hard to express myself. Most of them find it weird that I cannot recognise numbers.
“I feel really alone as my friends also left me. I am always worried that I might say the wrong thing and offend others,” he said.
When asked what led to his stroke, the 35-year-old could not recall but suspected that it was due to his long working hours.
“I wish this is a dream, but when I wake up in the morning, reality sets in,” he said.
He added that he initially could not recognise anyone, not even his wife and son. He could not even remember his own name.
He said he even lost all his vocabulary skills.
“I had to learn speaking from the beginning, from A to Z. It is like relearning all your skills from when you were a baby. I have it in my head what I want to say, but I can’t express it,” he said.