Dual-stroke patient who beat the odds shares his story of hope

He publishes book about journey out of darkness to help others in despair

- Judith Tan

Mr Noel Peter Xavier was pulled from the brink of death almost 11 years ago at the age of 40.

Then a workaholic and a party animal, he felt unwell on May 13, 2013, after a party at his friend's place.

"It happened to be Mother's Day that day, and I was rushing home to share a meal with my mother. She had prepared briyani, my favourite," said Mr Xavier, who was divorced at the time.

"I was on my way home when I felt the left side of my body pulling away from the rest of me. It felt heavy. My head was spinning and I threw up. To steady myself, I sat by the kerb. That was when I blacked out." He had suffered a stroke, and doctors found a blood clot the size of a golf ball in his brain. After two operations during one of which he suffered another stroke on the operating table - Mr Xavier fell into a coma, with doctors giving him only a 5 per cent chance of survival.

But he overcame the odds and even wrote a book, titled Zero To Hero, which documents his journey out of darkness. It will be launched at the National Library in Victoria Street in early June.

Now 50 years old, the chatty Mr Xavier is a shadow of his former self. He can walk, albeit slowly, as he still has not regained full strength in his left side, and depends on a personal mobility device when he takes public transport to and from work.

He told The Straits Times that he joined the Republic of Singapore Air Force when he was 20, and worked as a helicopter simulator operator.

"I had to... be physically fit to keep up with the pilots. So I exercised every day without fail," he said.

Things changed after he left the service six years later.

He found a job with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and was stationed at Woodlands Checkpoint. Not too fond of shift work, Mr Xavier left after four years to work as a manager of a condominium.