Once paralysed, now walking tall – meet the survivors who defied the odds through robotic therapy. In the final part of this three-part series, the patients’ powerful journeys reveal how science, faith and sheer determination can bring even the darkest chapters to light.
Rewiring hope: Robotic therapy and the power to heal
IN the first two parts of this series, the writer uncovered how robotic therapy is transforming rehabilitation – how it restores movement and hope with a speed and precision that conventional therapy alone often cannot match.
In this final part, we will explore the patients’ personal stories: falling seriously ill, nearly giving up hope, finding the strength to get back on their feet, and ultimately achieving remarkable improvement for themselves and their loved ones.
All of these determined individuals were discharged last year and have since made tremendous progress in their recovery journeys.
For context, during their treatment period, they attended therapy sessions at Normah Medical Specialist Centre (NMSC) on weekdays and were able to return home at weekends.
The Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) covered the full cost of their stay and treatment, easing the financial burden so they could focus entirely on their recovery.
From collapse to comeback
Despite her commitment to healthy living, Nora Pauzi never imagined she would face the darkest chapter of her life.
At 43, she was an active clerk with no history of serious illness. Careful about her wellbeing, she believed she was doing everything right.
But in the early months of 2024, unsettling signs began to appear: a creeping numbness on one side of her body and a fatigue that clung to her day after day.
Doctors eventually diagnosed her with high blood pressure. She began medication and tried to adapt, determined to carry on with her routines – work, prayer, daily life – as though nothing had changed.
But looking back, she now sees how the morning of April 22 became the prelude to what she calls the “blackest moment” of her life.
That day, objects slipped again and again from her weakening right hand. She kept telling herself she was simply tired or hungry.
That evening, everything shifted. A strange heaviness settled over the right side of her body. When she tried to get out of bed to go to the bathroom, she collapsed.
“My younger brother rushed me to Borneo Medical Centre (BMC), where doctors confirmed the unimaginable: I had suffered a stroke,” she recalled.
The next two weeks in hospital were a blur of fear, confusion and disbelief. Coming to terms with her new reality felt almost impossible.
Yet, even in those early days, a glimmer of hope emerged. Thanks to the dedication of her doctors, she was referred to NMSC to begin robotic therapy.
On May 7, she started treatment – and slowly, progress came. Day by day, she regained the ability to hold a pen, grip objects, and eventually walk without assistance.
“I attended therapy every weekday from 8:00 am to noon, sometimes even in the evenings if there were too many patients.
“But the process wasn’t easy. There were times I cried, feeling close to hopeless,” she shared.
Throughout it all, Nora’s faith remained her anchor. She reminded herself that Allah never tests His servants beyond what they can bear.
Her family’s support became another pillar of strength. As the only daughter among four siblings, she felt deeply grateful for their encouragement.
Sufficient rest and mental resilience, she said, were her greatest allies in recovery.
Her employer, too, has been remarkably understanding. Now that she has been discharged, she has been welcomed back to work with open arms.
To make the transition easier, she has been offered the chance to work from home while she continues to regain her strength.
Despite her health challenges, Nora also resumed her distance learning studies at Universiti Utara Malaysia but chose to postpone her December 2024 convocation so she could focus on healing first.
Recovery has also transformed her outlook on food. Once sceptical of vegetables, she now embraces colourful produce and has cut back on salty meals, determined to build a healthier future.
Nora’s story is not simply one of illness and struggle. It is also a testament to faith, determination and the quiet power of taking one step at a time.
From paralysis to possibility
When Duhil Aneng first lost feeling in her legs, she had no idea how long the road ahead would be, or how much her life was about to change.
For six months, she was confined to bed, unable to move from the waist down. A former auxiliary policewoman with a bright, easy-going nature, she found herself relying entirely on her mother for the simplest tasks.
Her ordeal began in January 2024, shortly after she returned to Selangor from Kuching, where she had spent Christmas with her family. One day, she was struck by a sudden, stabbing pain in her spine.
On January 8, she went to Sungai Buloh Hospital for an X-ray and a heart check-up, but the results came back normal. Yet when she tried to get out of bed, the pain was so excruciating that she had to call out for help.
Living alone and increasingly frightened, Duhil decided to resign from her job with just 24 hours’ notice – fully aware of the penalty but unable to endure the relentless agony any longer.
Two weeks after returning home to Kuching on January 19, her legs began to feel alarmingly weak.
“When I saw doctors, I was told everything looked normal. But by the third week, I was paralysed from the chest down and had to rely completely on my mother to move,” recalled the 33-year-old Bidayuh lady.
One night, she began to struggle for breath. Rushed to Bau Hospital, she was again told there were no clear abnormalities.
Only after a referral to Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) did she finally receive a diagnosis: blood clots in her lungs and spinal tuberculosis.
Faced with the news, doctors offered her two options – surgery or medication – but warned that neither would guarantee she would ever walk again.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t devastated. I wanted to give up, but I had to be strong for my mother,” she said.
Duhil chose medication combined with conventional physiotherapy and applied for robotic therapy treatment through PERKESO.
While she waited for approval, she faced another challenge: the stigma in her village, where some neighbours wrongly believed she had contagious lung tuberculosis and began to avoid her.
“But I get it. It’s not easy for them to understand this illness,” she said gently.
In late August, she finally began robotic therapy at NMSC.
“I felt so positive when I started. After just a week, my legs began to move slightly. At first, I could only manage 100 to 200 steps with the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) Lower Limb. Eventually, I reached 1,000 steps per session,” she said proudly.
Her determination paid off. By the end of November, Duhil completed her intensive therapy programme.
The progress she achieved was nothing short of remarkable: from arriving in a wheelchair with poor sitting balance and needing maximum help to stand, she progressed to performing high-level balance skills — stepping across different levels of obstacles, going up and down stairs carrying objects, and even slow running.
Since her discharge, she has continued her prescribed home exercises faithfully. Today, she is able to drive again and enjoys being able to manage her household chores independently in her village.
On her family’s advice, Duhil is not rushing to apply for a new job just yet, choosing instead to focus on rebuilding her strength and enjoying the simple freedom she once took for granted.
“Even though the doctors once said I might never fully recover, I won’t give up. As long as there’s a chance, I’ll keep fighting and continue to pray for healing,” she said resolutely.
Duhil hopes that by sharing her story, she can inspire others facing their own battles to hold on to faith and never stop believing in the possibility of recovery.
