Featured on #SPDStories (formerly Society for the Physically Disabled)

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Rainy Day Survivor Gives Back

 

A life-threatening combination of a brainstem stroke and cardiac arrest came hurtling into Melvin Tan’s life when he was only in his early 30s. It was one of the bleakest phases in his life. However, with sheer will and an indomitable spirt, the then marketing manager made it through the journey of painful recovery which opened his eyes to the goodness of Singaporeans along the way, leading him to give back to society in any ways that he could now.

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That Football Match

It all happened eight years ago, but the memories were still fresh in Melvin’s mind. He was in the middle of playing a football game when he collapsed and was rushed unconscious to Changi General Hospital. Melvin came out of a coma four days later and when he woke up, he had already lost a part of his memory.

When told that he had had a brainstem stroke and cardiac arrest, Melvin could not help but questioned “Why me?”.

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He was young, active and had no health challenges till that fateful day. Feelings of desiderium and anger at his situation, mixed with a sense of gratitude and fortune when he compared himself with other patients in more dire circumstances, created a cocktail of conflicting emotions that he struggled to cope with during his stay at the hospital.

 

Embarking on Getting Better

It’s always the simplest actions, those performed subconsciously and always taken for granted, that would hurt the most during the recovery stage. Melvin first found that he had to swallow slower. “Nothing serious though, just a minor adjustment,” he thought. Then he had nystagmus, an eye condition that causes blurry vision, which led to some discomfort. He took that in his stride.

What took the wind out of Melvin was when he tried to sing “Do, Re, Mi” but could not do so as the left side of his mouth was numb, “It was hard, I remember myself crying in the wheelchair because I could not do so.”

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Right after his discharge, Melvin’s days were packed with physical, vestibular and speech therapy sessions in hopes that, since he was still relatively young, he could regain most of his functions and abilities affected by the stroke. One thing Melvin felt blessed was that since he has always been an introvert, he was not too affected by not being able to go out much but rather enjoyed spending time at home after his sessions.

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Sunshine After the Rain

Shortly after, Melvin enrolled in the Transition to Employment programme (TTE) in 2014 as his goal was to get well enough to return to work. A newly launched return-to-work programme by SPD then, Melvin was supported by an inter-disciplinary care team consisting of an employment support specialist, social worker, occupational therapist, and physiotherapist. The team worked with him on improving his core strength, balance, and co-ordination, through exercises and games on the Kinect.

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For example, as Melvin hoped to improve in his walking and ability to commute via taxi, he had to practise walking with his crutches on different terrain and in the community. The team also explored ways to modify his crutches so they would fit better and the use of assistive technology to help him be more independent. 

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Meanwhile, Melvin’s employment support specialist also explored potential job opportunities with him, and they tried to accommodate to his skills, preferences, and desired frequency of work. Seeing his potential to recover most of his functions, the TTE team encouraged him to pick up graphic design again.

Melvin received work-hardening training which included getting him used to controlling the mouse and typing. He went on to design some greeting cards and collaterals for TTE. A year and a half later, Melvin ‘graduated’ from TTE and returned to the workforce.

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> Read more at https://www.spd.org.sg/rainy-day-survivor-gives-back/