Stroke survivor takes up call to help others like her
PETALING JAYA : Many years ago, Janet Yeo was at the top of her career. After taking over her father's company at 25, she became the youngest managing director of an advertising agency in the country.
At the helm of the company, now renamed Union 45, she won many industry accolades, including becoming the first woman, and the youngest person to hold the Presidency of 4As (Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies in Malaysia).
Yeo's world, however, came crashing down in 1989, when she suffered a stroke, leaving her paralysed on her right side and depriving her of the ability to write.
She found herself questioning why this happened to her.
'As a Christian, I prayed. I asked God, why did you allow this stroke in my life? I didn't understand, but I accepted. I asked, what was the purpose for all this? And I heard a small voice, saying, 'go and help other stroke survivors',' recalled Yeo, now 80.
'I didn't know how to do it. I was still recovering from my stroke at the time. But I decided I would take this up.'
Yeo delivering a talk to members of the National Stroke Association of Malaysia. (Janet Yeo pic)
Yeo's story was later covered in a local newspaper, leading to an outpouring of support. It wasn't long before she founded the National Stroke Association of Malaysia (Nasam) in November 1996, with her home in Petaling Jaya converted into the association's first therapy centre.
Nasam's mission is to promote stroke prevention and meet the rehabilitation needs of stroke survivors after they are discharged from hospital. The association is well known for its rallying cry, 'There is Life after Stroke'.
The association now has six centres around Malaysia in Petaling Jaya, Ampang, Sabah, Perak, Johor and Pahang.
Yeo said she believes what differentiates Nasam from other stroke recovery centres is its holistic programme. She said stroke programmes were more than just physical treatment.
Yeo (second from left) with Nasam members at a fundraising walk. (Janet Yeo pic)
'Most stroke patients go to a hospital or clinic, and get an appointment once a week, or once a month. They will treat your hand and your leg, but they don't help your head, your feelings, or emotions,' she said.
'But deep down, you are still you. You are still someone's parent, child, or sibling. You are the same person you are, but may feel traumatised from what happened to you. You may not have completed the grief process, and we are here to help you with all that.'
She is also a firm believer in the power of will, believing that most difficult situations can be overcome if you push yourself hard and don't give up.
Yeo's vision is for every major town in Malaysia to have a Nasam centre. These ambitious plans, however, are tempered by a focus on sustainability and consistency.
'We have people from all over the country, wanting to start centres where they are. But we are careful. Can you sustain the fundraising for your centre? And will we be able to find enough good trained physiotherapists to deploy to those places?'
'We rather stay where we are, at six centres, until maybe the supply of physiotherapists in Malaysia improves.'
Nasam currently has six centres nationwide, including this one in Ampang, the house Yeo's mother once lived in. (Nasam pic)
While the centre is doing its part to help stroke victims, it still needs help, whether in the form of volunteers or donations.
If every Malaysian could just donate RM1, or the price of one meal every month, what a difference that could make for stroke therapy, Yeo said with a smile.
Yeo may be 80 now, but she is still fired up about promoting Nasam's cause: she believes she will probably be serving until she is ultimately called home to her maker.
'I think my post-stroke life is more rewarding than my pre-stroke life now,' she said. 'I used to be about chasing money and titles. But I learnt all of that means nothing when you're lying in a hospital bed.
'Working with Nasam has made me into a different person. Now, I'm driven by the will to serve more stroke survivors, and help them regain their lives again.'
For more information on the National Stroke Association of Malaysia, visit their website.
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