Man Got A Stroke & Fainted While Showering; Woke Up To A Half Paralysed Body

Sometimes, the most unexpected incidents can change your life for the worse.

It is incidents like this, that remind us to cherish every day we live because we never know what might happen the next day.

Man Paralysed After Having Stroke While Showering

As reported in Lianhe Zaobao, a man had a stroke in the middle of showering after getting off from work, and fell unconscious in the shower.

Upon regaining consciousness, he discovered that his speech system was impaired and that he was unable to speak. His right side had also been paralysed, and he required a wheelchair to move around.

The man, 38-year-old engineer Hu Chang Sheng, had reportedly suffered from cerebral hemorrhage which resulted in his stroke. He had undergone two emergency operations the night of his stroke, and had spent four to five days in a coma at the hospital before finally regaining consciousness.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, reporters had visited the residence of Mr Hu on Saturday (17 July). Mr Hu’s wife, 34-year-old housewife Bao Xiao Jie, and his superior, 58-year-old Ma Yu Lin, were interviewed together by Shin Min Daily News.

Mrs Bao said that on the night of 5 May, her husband had gone to shower like usual after returning home from work. However, she suddenly heard a loud shout from the bathroom.

When she went in to check, she had discovered her husband lying unconscious on the floor—he would not wake up no matter how much she tried, said Mrs Bao.

“At that time, I was scared out of my wits. I didn’t dare to carelessly move his body, so I could only call a colleague who lived nearby, notify his superior, and urgently call for an ambulance,” said Mrs Bao.

Mr Hu was sent to the National University Hospital (NUH), where it was discovered that cerebral hemorrhage had caused his stroke. He then underwent two emergency craniotomy operations to remove the blood clots, after which he spent nearly five days in a coma before waking up.

After being on the brink of death, Mr Hu woke up with a clear mind, but discovered that his speech had been impaired due to damage to his speech and language systems. The right side of his body was also in a semi-paralysed condition, and he needed a wheelchair to move around.

Mr Hu might not be able to work like a normal person in the next few years, said the doctor.

Mrs Bao said: “When my husband woke up, I could finally heave a sigh of relief. However, my husband’s current condition is also distressing. He is unable to speak, and can only rely on gesturing with his fingers to express his intentions.”

After undergoing a series of operations and treatment, Mr Hu was transferred to Alexandra Hospital’s Rehabilitation Nursing Home on 10 June, where he continued to receive treatment until his discharge a few days ago.

Originally Planned to Settle Down in S’pore

After coming to Singapore for half a year, Mr Hu had brought his wife and nine-year-old son over to live with him. The family had originally planned to settle down in Singapore—however with the recent events, they could only return to their hometown for recuperation and treatment.

Mr Hu had come to Singapore three years ago to take up the position of service engineer at a local marine company. After working in Singapore for just half a year, he had brought his wife and son over with the intention to settle down here. His son had even been studying in Singapore as a primary three student.

Unfortunately, the unexpected incident had disrupted the family’s plans.

Mr Hu had been the sole breadwinner in the family—with him currently unable to work and take care of himself, his wife has to become his caregiver, as well as worry about the expensive medical fees.

“Having to move my husband around by myself is very strenuous, I need the help of additional caregivers. However, hiring a nurse is yet another large sum of money. After careful consideration, we’ve decided to move back to our hometown. At least there will be relatives who can help take care of my husband,” said Mrs Bao.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, Mr Hu and his family will be leaving on a flight back to China on Monday (19 July).

Colleagues Helped to Raise Money, But Not Enough to Cover Medical Fees

In times of difficulty, we will always see acts of kindness.

In addition to helping to pay for Mr Hu’s S$36,000 surgical fees, the company at which Mr Hu worked also gifted him a wheelchair and plane tickets. His colleagues also helped to raise S$13,000 from charity.

Mr Hu’s superior, said that Mr Hu’s professional capabilities were very strong, and his performance at work was always outstanding. He had been well-liked among his colleagues, and everyone had tried their best to help him after finding out that he had fallen ill, added Mr Ma.

“The company understood that he had not bought medical insurance for himself, and so helped him to pay for his S$36,000 worth of surgical fees. We also bought plane tickets back to China for his entire family, as well as a wheelchair for him,” said Mr Ma.

However, Mr Ma said that although the surgical fees have been repaid, Mr Hu and his family still have to deal with expensive medical fees. Mr Hu’s colleagues at work have also initiated an internal fund-raiser and helped to raise S$13,000 for the family of three.

Though Mr Hu and his wife are both very grateful to the company for its help, they presently still owe more than S$10,000 worth of medical fees, which they are unable to repay.

“We’ve already taken out all of our savings, and borrowed money from friends and relatives, but it is still not enough to repay the S$10,000 medical fees. We hope that everyone can help us,” said Mrs Bao.

Read Also:

Featured Image: PSawanpanyalert / Shutterstock.com