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Helping stroke patients rewarding
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MY first experience with community service in Shanghai was in the fall of my sophomore year. Tony Xie, my personal trainer, was a man with a caring heart. He had participated in the search and rescue effort following the Sichuan earthquake and he partook in programs for rural children in his native Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It didn’t surprise many when he started a community outreach program in Shanghai for stroke patients.
I’m sure before I became a part of Road to Recovery, I was another one of those kids who spent their weekends languishing at home. My mom had to force me to go on my first visit, but after what I experienced on it, I’ve been going on a weekly or biweekly basis. The one thing that stuck with me was the idea that I could do something good for others with the time I would waste doing less meaningful things like going on a movie marathon or sleeping till noon.
So soon after I decided to found a chapter of Road to Recovery at Shanghai American School Pudong campus. I wanted to share the opportunity that had been given to me. My hope was that we would have enough members to cover the needs of one stroke patient and it worked out in the end. Starting this year with eight club members, we’ve been able to send groups of two or three each week to fulfill our patient’s needs.
But what exactly do we do to help our stroke patients recover? Each patient may have different needs, depending on the severity of their immobility. We help them develop skills for everyday tasks, such as walking down the stairs. Because we do door-to-door visits, the atmosphere is lighthearted and we have interesting personal interactions and enjoyable conversations with patients.
For our club’s first few visits to the home of patient Kang Kang, a 15-year-old boy who suffered from a stroke when he was in kindergarten, Tony accompanied us and instructed us on the basics of rehabilitation. Subsequently, we built our own program based on his needs. It now includes a variety of stretching exercises, strength conditioning, and also lessons on the rudiments of arithmetic and practical communication skills.
It’s not just the gratifying feeling you get from doing what you can to help another in need. It’s also about the unique experience from meeting people you normally wouldn’t have the chance to interact with. Not only have I learned more about myself through Road to Recovery, but also about the community in Shanghai.
(Samson Wang is a SAS student.)
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