S’porean Battles Spinal Infection For 9 Months, Overcomes Paralysis To Walk Again In 3 Years

Resilient Singaporean Shares How He Overcame Paralysis To Walk Once More

Losing mobility of your body suddenly can be a terrifying experience. What’s worse is that it can come out of the blue, leaving one potentially unprepared.

This is the story of how a paraplegic rose above his injury to not only walk again, but survive the pandemic.

Image courtesy of David Aitabir via The Straits Times

Easier said than done, of course — but we got to talk to David Aitabir, 58, about how he overcame a spinal infection and paralysis 6 years ago.

He was often told that it was unlikely that he could walk again. But it took him 10 months – and a whole lot of grit – for him to finally stand on his own feet again.

We learn how Mr David courageously weathered the storm that once threatened to rob him of his mobility, and how his children were his beacons of hope.

Spinal infection surgery left him paralysed from waist down

6 years ago, David Aitabir had a spinal infection surgery, which left him paralysed from the waist down.

Image courtesy of David Aitabir

Recalling how it happened so suddenly, his ordeal had begun one Saturday morning with a weakness in his legs. He eventually lost consciousness, as his then 16-year-old son desperately called for help.

His life turned upside down the moment he woke up at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Although doctors operated to remove a growth on his lower back, he could no longer feel his legs.

Mr David related,

It was the worst news ever. I’ve never felt so useless in my life. I cried so much, I could still remember how I couldn’t move or tilt my body, it felt like I was a living corpse.

Spent 9 months in rehab & could walk again

But Mr David wasn’t about to give up. He enrolled into a rehabilitation centre and spent several months re-learning how to walk.

Image courtesy of David Aitabir

It can be a difficult experience to relearn something that seems so intuitive from the age of 2-3, but he maintained a positive spirit.

He recalled a quote he saw every time during therapy,

Be part of society, not apart from society.

“This quote was so true. I was a part of society — I was an able-bodied person, and then I wasn’t. During therapy, I wanted to go back to being a part of society so badly, it became my motivation to recover,” he said.

Image courtesy of David Aitabir

After months in hospital, he started the road to recovery in getting back on his feet — literally, sharing,

When I could stand again, the feeling I had…I don’t know how to describe it. It’s something money can’t buy.

Pressed on because of his children

Certainly, there would have been many times when he thought about giving up in the 10 months of rehab. But his 3 children became the impetus for him to press on.

Image courtesy of Great Eastern via The Straits Times

He didn’t want to be a burden to them for the rest of his life — 2 of them are married, while he stays with his youngest son, aged 22, in a Woodlands rental flat.

Mr David quipped,

Therapy taught me how to be independent instead of relying on them.

Other Singaporeans overcoming the odds like David

Like David, many other Singaporeans out there have their own battles to fight too. They refused to let their physical limitations hold them back in life.

Take Sophie Soon, who didn’t let her being legally blind stop her from getting Grade 8 in violin, or be a national swimmer.

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Or Zoe Zora, who continues her modeling and acting dreams even though a car accident left her paralysed, leaving her confined to a wheelchair.

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Melvin Ong, too, took his career further even after his spinal cord fracture a year ago — now he’s a director and has designed T-shirts.

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These inspiring artists have come together for a musical masterpiece, which has just been released. Undefeated by life, they aspire to send a message to the world to never lose sight of your dreams.

Because dreams are what defines us, not disabilities. You can watch the 3-minute behind-the-scenes video below.

Get disability coverage with Great Eastern’s GREAT CareShield

The issue with accidents and illnesses is that we rarely see them coming. Such incidents may leave us suffering from some form of disability.

However, we can take steps to mitigate the costs that come with them — they can range from rehab to treatment, and these may be costly and aren’t things MediSave alone can cover.

1 in 30 Singaporeans aged 18–49 suffer from some form of disability and may incur long term care expenses associated with rehab, healthcare expenses or caregiver support. These can cost up to $2,300/month without subsidy.

GREAT CareShield, a CareShield Life supplementary plan, comes in 2 plans – Advantage or Enhanced – provides up to $5,000 monthly payouts for moderate and severe disabilities, where moderate disability means inability to perform 2 out of the 6 Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and severe disability means inability to perform 3 ADLs, so that you can better afford your desired level of long-term care services.

GREAT CareShield sign-ups get 20% premium savings off first-year premium (minimum of $750 per policy) till 31 Jan 2021.

You can find out more about the plans at the Great Eastern website here.

Good to be prepared during times of uncertainty

David’s resilience would have been made much more difficult had he not been prepared for what was to come.

But thanks to the plan he took out, his maintenance costs were fully covered, and he could focus on the important bit – recovery – instead of finding the money to fund it.

None of us could have seen Covid-19 coming, so there’s no telling when something unprecedented can occur when we least expect it.

But we can at least take the steps to mitigate the possible costs of such an event.

This post was brought to you in collaboration with Great Eastern.

Featured image courtesy of David Aitabir & Great Eastern via The Straits Times.

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