Life story 12

Life story 12
‘Never had I expected to suffer from a stroke’

On 18 May 2002 at about midnight as I was lying in bed, I felt very confused. My wife noticed my restlessness and turned towards me. As a practicing anaesthetist she immediately realized that I had had a stroke. My left arm and leg could not move.

After a series of tests at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, it was confirmed that it was a stroke. In medical jargon I had a ‘complete occlusion of my right internal carotid artery’, which supplies blood to the right side of the brain. This complete block paralysed the other [left] side of my body. Furthermore my heart had ‘ventricular ectopics and arrythmias beat’. It was beating irregularly.

While in hospital I made a gradual recovery of the use of my left limbs and was discharged on the 23 May 2002.

Meanwhile, prayers were fervently offered by my wife and family, relatives in Singapore and Malaysia, cell and church members and friends even as far as Australia. We were united in prayers.

A week later I was brought to a healing service at Lighthouse Church in Singapore. Pastor Ronny instructed all those who were ill to place their hands on the part that was afflicted.

In faith I placed my hand on the right side of my neck and after prayer, I felt a sudden gush of blood flow up my neck, I knew there and then that God had healed me!

At the hospital I repeated a Colour Doppler Ultrasound scan on myself, to check the blood flow in my neck artery. I was amazed to learn that the blood flow was now normal and totally unobstructed.

My neurologist after seeing the scan said it was impossible for this to happen! So he repeated the scan the next day, only to confirm the same results. This was unbelievable, and he requested an MRI angiogram to be done for me. This was the ultimate high-tech scan. It again confirmed beyond any doubt that my artery was totally cleared of any obstruction. God healed me.

I am now back to normal work and leisure. I have even journeyed to Aceh for the Tsunami relief in 2005.


Never had I expected to suffer from a stroke, as I had always considered myself healthy. But I did. Never had I expected that God would touch me and heal me so miraculously, so completely. But He did. Hallelujah! Praise His Name!

Dr Tan Hun Hoe, 51, is a consultant urologist in private practice in Singapore.