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True grit: Paralysed after separate accidents, two men fight on to live fully

SINGAPORE — A momentary lapse due to fatigue and an accidental fall left two men in their 20s picking up the pieces of their lives and taking a path completely different from what they had envisioned for themselves.

Mr Aaron Yeo (left) and Mr Melvin Ong (right) had to pick themselves up to go on living after they suffered spinal cord injuries in their 20s that left them paralysed.

Mr Aaron Yeo (left) and Mr Melvin Ong (right) had to pick themselves up to go on living after they suffered spinal cord injuries in their 20s that left them paralysed.

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  • Two men, leading separate lives, but both survivors of spinal cord injuries that left them paralysed
  • Mr Aaron Yeo has gone on to focus on being a sportsman and makes a living as an artist
  • Mr Melvin Ong is setting the immediate goal of reducing the time he needs to spend breathing through a ventilator
  • He has designed T-shirts for sale to support migrant workers during this pandemic


SINGAPORE — A momentary lapse due to fatigue and an accidental fall left two men in their 20s picking up the pieces of their lives and taking a path completely different from what they had envisioned for themselves.

Mr Aaron Yeo was a hairstylist aspiring to open his own hair salon and Mr Melvin Ong was a musician looking to have a career doing what he loves.

On separate occasions, the two men suffered traumatic injuries that left them paralysed and took away more than just the control of their limbs and movement.

Today, they are still living with their disabilities and are striving to live a full and rewarding life.

They talked about their experiences last week at the digital edition of Carehab – Singapore Rehabilitation Conference 2020, which was attended by more than 1,200 industry and medical professionals from the healthcare sector across the Asia-Pacific region who were looking into advancing the quality of rehabilitation care.

In virtual interviews that followed after their speeches, Mr Yeo and Mr Ong told TODAY that they hope to give encouragement to people who are going through difficult times, especially during this unprecedented pandemic.

MOTORBIKE SKIDDED IN THE RAIN

It was November 2006 and after a long day at work, Mr Yeo was feeling very tired. While riding home in the rain, his motorcycle skidded on the road. He blacked out and could not remember what had happened during the accident.

After waking up in the hospital, the 26-year-old received the grim news that he suffered a C5 spinal cord injury and would not be able to walk again.

Recalling the moment when he was told that he would have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, Mr Yeo, who is now 41, said: “I was active and loved sports and going to the gym. I was in total shock, disbelief and in a daze. Nobody would ever think something like that would happen to them.”

After spending a total of six months in hospital, of which three were spent undergoing rehabilitation, it would take Mr Yeo several more years of denial and grief to come to terms with his permanent injury.

He is paraylysed from the chest-down, though he can move his shoulders, biceps and retains partial movement in the wrists. 

“At first, I was in denial and thought that I would be able to get back on my feet. But after I was discharged (from the hospital), I realised I still needed help to do the things I once took for granted, like getting out of bed, getting changed, going to the toilet,” he said.

“That was when reality sank in. It was real. It was going to be my life forever.”

Despite his grief, Mr Yeo continued with his therapy sessions as an outpatient, pushing himself to reach the limits of his physical abilities through activities such as handcycling, swimming and assisted standing.

In 2015, a friend introduced him to wheelchair table tennis.

“I was very intrigued as I had played table tennis before when I was in primary school, though not very well.”

Due to the limited range of movement in his upper limbs, Mr Yeo is unable to hold the table tennis paddle. He plays the sport by strapping the paddle to his hand.

Mr Aaron Yeo (front row, second from left) in a picture with fellow athletes. Photo: Aaron Yeo

Re-learning the sport with his disability was challenging for him at first.

“But the fun part about sports has always been overcoming the challenges. For me, trying and failing is better than failing to try,” he said.

What started out as a moment of curiosity turned into a “rollercoaster” year for Mr Yeo, when he qualified to represent Singapore at the Asean Para Games in 2015.

In the lead-up to the competition, being a “naturally competitive” person, Mr Yeo said that he trained almost every day. Even when he could not find a training partner, he would practise several hours on his own.

That year, he clinched a gold in the men’s team Class 1-2 and a silver in the men’s singles Class 1 event. Since then, he has gone on to represent the country at other international competitions.

“It was a great honour to represent my country. Sports has given me many opportunities to travel and make new friends from around the world,” he said.

Mr Yeo continues to put in regular training for table tennis, and was doing that around four times a week before Singapore raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) level to Orange in managing the Covid-19 outbreak in February.

Sporting competitions have been cancelled because of the ongoing pandemic but he has not stopped exercising.

“During the circuit breaker (when people had to stay home), I still did home training exercises with the team via Zoom. We recently resumed our first training session, which felt great. After such a long break, I feel a little rusty. There’s a lot of catching up to do,” Mr Yeo said, adding that he hopes to continue to take part in more competitions in the future.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF CREATIVE WORK

Aside from his training sessions, Mr Yeo is also focused on his work as an artist. He posts his works on Instagram under the handle, @aaronmouthpainter.

He paints by manoeuvring brushes and other art tools with his mouth. It is a means for him to earn a living to sustain himself as he can no longer do hairstyling work.

About 80 per cent of Mr Aaron Yeo's body is paralysed but he can do art work by using his mouth to paint. Photo: Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY

Mr Yeo still has to pay for medical bills for his follow-up check-ups. His mother, who is working, helps out with the bills. They also have a domestic worker at home who is the main person taking care of his daily needs.

Surviving the accident and accepting his situation have changed Mr Yeo’s perspective, making him more appreciative of the little things in life.

“Before the accident, I was always focused on my career. Like any young Singaporean adult, I wanted to make and earn more money, start my own business.

“Now, I appreciate the simple things that I once took for granted. Even with the ongoing Covid-19 situation now, I appreciate just being able to wake up and breathe fresh air,” he said.

Covid-19 poses extra risks to him as he has weak breathing due to his paralysis. He has become more conscious of personal hygiene and stays at home as much as possible.

Mr Yeo also wants to tell people facing adversity and going through hard times not to give up.

“By not giving up, I have found my way in life. Life finds a way eventually,” he said.

A HUNDRED DAYS IN ICU

For Mr Melvin Ong, 29, the accident that left him paralysed happened just last year.

He fell from a platform that was around 2m high and woke up in a hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) to find himself unable to move, speak or breathe on his own.

He did not want to recount exactly what happened on the day and why he was on the platform, but said that he was hanging out with friends when the accident happened. They called an ambulance after they realised he could not move.

The fall fractured the C3 and C4 of his spinal cord, which control nerves that enable limb movements as well as normal breathing. His injuries were so severe that he spent 100 days in the ICU.

Now, he still does not have voluntary movements in his limbs and uses a ventilator at night to assist with his breathing. It is, however, a vast improvement from his early days in the ICU, he said.

“From having zero sensation in my limbs to being able to feel some touch; milk feeds to soft food to complete normal meals; being off the ventilator for five minutes to being off it for 16 hours; and to be able to speak almost normally now — these are milestones that I never thought I would be able to reach.”

He added that the progress he has made would not have been possible without his supportive family, friends as well as the healthcare team at the Singapore General Hospital and home ventilation team from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

Mr Melvin Ong (centre) at home with his family's domestic worker and his father. Photo: Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY

A former video technician, cameraman and musician, Mr Ong used to spend most of his time working, travelling and writing music. He can do none of that now, and his dream to further his budding music career will have to be shelved.

The ordeal also worsened his anxiety and depression — conditions that he had been battling before the accident, and for which he had to take medications for anxiety and low mood.

“Finding myself unable to move at all was a huge blow to me. I cannot do the basic things that a normal person can do. I can’t clean myself, eat on my own — words cannot describe or explain how I feel,” he said.

“I’m still trying to fight my anxiety and depression on certain days but it’s gotten better recently.” He added that he is seeing a psychologist for now.

WORKING ON DIFFERENT GOALS

Instead of dwelling on the accident that has left him immobile, Mr Ong prefers to focus on other things. “As long as there is some light in my life, I’ll hang on to it,” he said.

“I could have just died or be totally paralysed if I had sustained a (higher level) spinal cord injury in my C1 or C2. But right now, I am still alive and I am keeping my hopes up that there may be some chance for me to get better.”

Now working towards weaning himself off the ventilator, Mr Ong also hopes to be able to gain more strength in his arms even if the recovery is slow.

“I hate to rely on other people, but now I have to be 100 per cent reliant on others. I hope to eventually be able to eat, shower and go out with my friends — all on my own — and lead a somewhat more normal life,” he said.

In the meantime, he keeps himself occupied by starting a new apparel label called Green Spell, which features a “Covid-19 relief” cotton T-shirt in its small collection.

This startup is run by a two-man team comprising Mr Ong, who does the business planning and designs, and his friend.

All of the proceeds from the Covid-19 relief T-shirt will go towards helping migrant workers facing difficulties during this period.

To navigate the internet, Mr Ong uses an assistive device on loan from TTSH. A sensor in the device tracks where the eyes are looking on the screen and allows him to control a digital tablet and access webpages online.

Mr Melvin Ong uses a device that features eye tracking technology, so that he can access the internet. Photo: Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY

“Before the accident, I had always wanted to have my own apparel line. Even though I can no longer do the physical work such as packing, which is needed now, that isn’t going to stop me from doing what I want to do,” he said.

Mr Ong is also helping out at his brother’s business and management consultancy firm. He handles administrative matters and emails.

“My mind tends to wander a lot and keeping busy has been a good thing for me,” he said.

He is rather "chill" about Covid-19 because he does not go out often, so he is not that worried about it. 

“As cliched as it sounds, everybody only lives once. We should try to appreciate and cherish everything that we have,” he said, adding that the one thing he cherishes now is just being alive.  

Related topics

spinal cord injury accident depression table tennis

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