24YO National Hockey Player Suffered Stroke After Collision & Game Still Continued

Picture this:

You’re facing off against a formidable opponent in the prestigious National Hockey League, and the atmosphere’s heating up. This is a match you’re vying to win, and it’s showing in your bared teeth.

“It’s time. To play the game,” you whisper to yourself as you go in for a steal.

Bam.

Left recoiling, you fall to the ground, enwrapped by so much pain it felt as if your very brain was shaking.

Panicked shouts sound out all around you, and you were swiftly evacuated to the sidelines. But to your intense disbelief, you can hear the whistle. They’re carrying on.

And to make things worse? It took at least an hour before an ambulance was called.

“YO WTF?!” you explode, getting off the floor in a crazed rage. All around you, team members were looking wide-eyed, surprised. “Are you kidding me? Hey, I’m in pain here. I’m not napping. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?!”

Slapping the wrist of a kind bystander who tried to help, you storm off the arena. “If you guys aren’t gonna help, I’ll just go myself.”

You look back and sneer. “HMPH.”

And as you leave the venue, a teammate emerges from the shadows and says:

“Now, that’s very much exaggerated, and certain details aren’t there from the start. But you know what the thing is? The gist is true. And hence the headline…”

24YO National Hockey Player Suffered Stroke After Collision & Game Still Continued

What happened?

According to The New Paper, National Hockey player Siti Nur Raihanah Waled had been pretty excited about the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities on Wednesday (5 June).

But as sheer ill-luck would have it, the 24-year-old ended up being hospitalised at Sengkang General Hospital on Sunday (2 June).

She had sustained a head injury during a match with opponent Crescent Hockey Club in the National Hockey League match.

Miss Raihanah’s team, the Vanquishers Hockey Club, ultimately suffered a 4-1 defeat.

Yet, while Miss Raihanah’s injury and the club’s loss are certainly grievous enough, another aspect has managed to rear its unsightly head out.

There was a distinct lack of medical expertise on hand.

According to the same report, there were no medical personnel on standby, and it took roughly an hour before an ambulance was even dialled.

And to add salt to the wound, the play was allowed to carry on, with four minutes left of regulation time after Miss Raihanah was carried to the sidelines.

If you find yourself shocked at this revelation, well, you’re not alone. Even Miss Raihanah herself couldn’t believe it.

“I was shocked they were told to carry on. Clearly, the officials were not taking my injury seriously.”

Lifeguards Helped Instead

After the match concluded, Miss Raihanah’s teammates carried her to a covered area, where lifeguards from the nearby swimming complex helped her with a portable oxygen tank as she reportedly had breathing difficulties.

As an opponent applied an ice pack to Miss Raihanah’s head, one of the 24-year-old’s teammates, Miss Syahreena Zainuddin, reportedly told TNP that players from both teams were at a loss as to what to do, with no guidance from the officials whatsoever.

And when they tried approaching Miss Lim Hui Min, a Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF) official, for help, the response wasn’t exactly helpful.

It’s Not Our Problem

“She told us it was not the SHF’s business to call for medics or an ambulance. She said we had to handle the situation on our own,” Miss Syahreena alleged.

Another teammate, Miss Syasya Ruzana, who’s also the club’s head committee member, wished for the SHF to review its protocol.

“This was a head injury and yet we had to be the ones taking a decision on what to do.

“Our players were panicking and just looking for guidance. The first response from the officials is unacceptable. There must be a change in how we deal with injuries.”

In the end, it was a staff member in the swimming complex who had to make the decisive call.

Action taken?

When TNP contacted Miss Lim for comments, she reportedly denied the allegations and declined to make any further comments.

On the other hand, SHF president Mathavan Devadas told TNP that his team would look into the matter.

“Before the season started, we had discussions with the clubs and it was decided that they will be handling matters related to injuries.”

He also reportedly added that assistance would be provided to Miss Raihanah if needed and that as a national athlete, she’ll be covered by insurance.

“We will have to speak to the clubs again and work together on a more robust protocol in dealing with injuries that occur during the game.”

Dizzy spells

Miss Raihanah has expressed that the collision had caused her to suffer a stroke, which was apparent from the “small black dots” that popped up in her brain from an initial magnetic resonance imaging scan.

And because she suffers from dizzy spells, she has been unable to walk on her own.

“It felt as if my brain was shaking. I was in so much pain. It was a feeling I had never felt before,” she told The New Paper about how she felt following the collision.

“Normally, my instinct would have been to get up, but I could not feel anything from my neck down. My body was just numb. I closed my eyes and wished for the pain to stop.”

The doctors have yet to reveal when Miss Raihanah can be discharged, as more plans are scheduled in the coming days.

Nevertheless, we hope that Miss Raihanah will recover soon and that more systematic medical help will be extended to these athletes, who partake in such physically vigorous activities. As a Wise Old Man would say:

“Safety first, always.”