A fairy tale stroke story By Lynn Cheah
February 22, 2018
In June 2016, I was working as Chemistry teacher at a public school in Western Sydney. I was busy planning for my students' upcoming exams - feeling anxious and excited for them all at once. Much like everyone at the end of a working week, by Friday I went home and felt exhausted. My partner and I ordered a pizza and I went straight to bed.
I don’t remember much about what happened after that. I woke up in the middle of the night with a bad headache. I called out to my partner and the next thing I remember is opening my eyes to a room full of white coats - and my Mum. This seemed impossible because she lives in Malaysia, where I was born.
After I woke up properly, I learnt I’d suffered a stroke. A blood clot had travelled from my heart to my brain and I was unconscious for four days. This came as a shock because I was only in my early 30s and I didn’t associate stroke with young people.
Miraculously the clot disappeared. I had mobility issues on my right side and I was also suffering from extreme fatigue, but I was thankful to be alive.
I spent 25 days in hospital and was able to remain active on social media using my phone. That connection with the outside world really helped me cope with this sudden, frightening situation.
I was born with a congenital heart disease and had a surgery when I was three, but that operation had been a huge success and I didn't have any health issues or symptoms until now.
After the stroke, the right side of my body was affected, so I lost the ability to write. This was a major blow because I am a teacher. My right leg movement and balance was affected too.
On top of everything, I was devastated to learn my partner and his family had rejected me because of my illness. They believed my heart condition and the stroke meant that I would have a shorter lifespan and a lower possibility of conceiving a child. For these reasons, I was dumped just a few months after my stroke.
Despite the heartbreak and generally dealing with life after stroke, I never stopped believing in myself. I was committed to recovering no matter what. There were times I felt low and frustrated, but I tried to maintain an optimistic outlook and adapted to new ways of doing things. Deep breathing exercises have helped as have prayers, meditation, rest and light exercises like yoga and pilates. Seeing a counsellor has also been important for me. Overall, I never stopped believing in myself and in love. I was grateful to be alive.
In January 2017, I met up with a long-time friend in church. He was aware of what had happened and gave me strength and support. We fell in love and are now engaged! We're going to be married in April this year. He has three teenage children and wants to help fulfil my wish for a child. If my heart condition means this won’t be possible, he is happy for us to adopt or have dogs instead. I have so much to look forward to.
When I lay in the hospital bed after my stroke, I thought about my mortality and the about things I would never have been able to do if I died. I didn’t want to have any regrets. As a result, my fiancé arranged a fairy tale photography session to celebrate our engagement and capture our memories. It’s so important to live your life, be kind and do what makes you happy.
I want to thank my beautiful family, friends, work colleagues and school students. I truly believe all their love, prayers and support were the main reasons I’ve made such a positive recovery.
In a span of 18 months, I encountered a life and death situation, the sudden break-down in my relationship, lost the balance of my right-side, returned to teaching and connected with my future husband. I have persisted in my recovery and believed in myself.
I am doing the best I can with work – I love teaching and will not let my stroke stop me. I’m also planning my wedding. I just want to make the most of life going forward!
I don’t remember much about what happened after that. I woke up in the middle of the night with a bad headache. I called out to my partner and the next thing I remember is opening my eyes to a room full of white coats - and my Mum. This seemed impossible because she lives in Malaysia, where I was born.
After I woke up properly, I learnt I’d suffered a stroke. A blood clot had travelled from my heart to my brain and I was unconscious for four days. This came as a shock because I was only in my early 30s and I didn’t associate stroke with young people.
Miraculously the clot disappeared. I had mobility issues on my right side and I was also suffering from extreme fatigue, but I was thankful to be alive.
I spent 25 days in hospital and was able to remain active on social media using my phone. That connection with the outside world really helped me cope with this sudden, frightening situation.
I was born with a congenital heart disease and had a surgery when I was three, but that operation had been a huge success and I didn't have any health issues or symptoms until now.
After the stroke, the right side of my body was affected, so I lost the ability to write. This was a major blow because I am a teacher. My right leg movement and balance was affected too.
On top of everything, I was devastated to learn my partner and his family had rejected me because of my illness. They believed my heart condition and the stroke meant that I would have a shorter lifespan and a lower possibility of conceiving a child. For these reasons, I was dumped just a few months after my stroke.
Despite the heartbreak and generally dealing with life after stroke, I never stopped believing in myself. I was committed to recovering no matter what. There were times I felt low and frustrated, but I tried to maintain an optimistic outlook and adapted to new ways of doing things. Deep breathing exercises have helped as have prayers, meditation, rest and light exercises like yoga and pilates. Seeing a counsellor has also been important for me. Overall, I never stopped believing in myself and in love. I was grateful to be alive.
In January 2017, I met up with a long-time friend in church. He was aware of what had happened and gave me strength and support. We fell in love and are now engaged! We're going to be married in April this year. He has three teenage children and wants to help fulfil my wish for a child. If my heart condition means this won’t be possible, he is happy for us to adopt or have dogs instead. I have so much to look forward to.
When I lay in the hospital bed after my stroke, I thought about my mortality and the about things I would never have been able to do if I died. I didn’t want to have any regrets. As a result, my fiancé arranged a fairy tale photography session to celebrate our engagement and capture our memories. It’s so important to live your life, be kind and do what makes you happy.
I want to thank my beautiful family, friends, work colleagues and school students. I truly believe all their love, prayers and support were the main reasons I’ve made such a positive recovery.
In a span of 18 months, I encountered a life and death situation, the sudden break-down in my relationship, lost the balance of my right-side, returned to teaching and connected with my future husband. I have persisted in my recovery and believed in myself.
I am doing the best I can with work – I love teaching and will not let my stroke stop me. I’m also planning my wedding. I just want to make the most of life going forward!