"Slow thinking may cause permanent disability".

Things would not have been the same after two mild strokes. Most of my friends told me that I was very, very lucky to be able to survive the second stroke though it was considered mild but on that very first day, I was partially paralysed on the right side of my body, right from my face down to the feet. I was unable to hold a comb, a ball-pen nor any object then. It was very visibly that the right side of my mouth was slightly uneven thus causing my speech to be slurred. I could feel the numbness on my right leg as the result that I could not even stand up let alone walk. After the first stroke, my son told me if I ever experienced the second stroke don't ever delay but get myself admitted soonest to the nearest hospital before the conditions turn for the worse. With that in mind, I asked my wife to send me to the General Hospital. My son called from the States warning me not to wait any longer but get immediate medical treatments without fail. Initially, I was kind of stubborn, not realising the urgency and danger of the deadly stroke. I thought that it was like the first time when it would slowly ease off but later on I realised that it was unlike the first time where there was a pain in the chest only. This time, there was not only pain in the chest but also numbness on the right side of my body.

I told my wife that this time, I felt like going to hell. Only with God's blessing would I be able to pull through. I was admitted to the Emergency ward that late morning, when I was put on a drip. My blood pressure reading was very abnormally high with 185/130. Even with some solution dripping for the night, the blood pressure reading remained the same the next morning. For a moment, I thought that God was taking back my life. However, after the specialists gave another two injections, followed by one daily, my b.p. reading had returned to almost normal.I was on the drip for another two days before I was discharged. During the short stay in the hospital, I went through the brain scanning, ECG and MRI (though it was done very much later). Thank God, the results were normal. Today, with proper medical assistances and regular intake of medication, massages and physical therapy, I felt the sensation on the right side of my face, mouth and hand was coming back though I am unable to walk normally.

If not for their encouragements and sufferings endured by my wife, daughter, her husband, my son and his wife, I believe that I would still be bed-ridden, perhaps, for the rest of my life.

From these experiences, I would like to share with my fellow brothers and sisters not to wait any longer when the stroke strikes. Go to the nearest hospital for immediate medical attention. NEVER FAIL TO TAKE THE MEDICATIONS PRESCRIBED BY YOUR DOCTORS.