The Second Chance

I was born in Korea, where my life couldn’t be more ‘ordinary’ or ‘normal’. I had just arrived at university and got on with everything around me normally. Like any other young boys at that age, I was more interested in hanging out with friends than taking life seriously.

Until I was 21.

On that day, about three years ago, I had arranged to meet with my schoolmates, but I didn’t get there.

When I got off the bus to meet my friends, I collapsed in front of the university. When I came round, I was in the hospital. I’d been moved by an ambulance for the first time in my life – a journey I didn’t even remember. I was lying in a bed, but couldn’t move the whole right side of my body. A few minutes later, a doctor appeared and examined me briefly. He asked me to do some simple things that anyone could do, but my body was already beyond my control. I couldn’t even feel that my parents were touching me. Later, I had a MRI scan, after which the doctors told me that I'd had a stroke. At the age of 21!

I was hospitalised in an intensive care facility. I couldn’t eat using my right hand, nor could I raise it to say goodbye to my parents. My right leg often slipped out of the bed, so nurses had to put it back. I couldn’t move it to where I wanted. The only good news at that time was that I was conscious!

I had two operations. After the first one, doctors came to my bed and explained about the second operation. It was mainly concerned with the effects of the first operation – linguistic and physical disabilities. The only good news was that I wouldn’t die.

Fortunately, the operation was successful and, more incredibly, I left the hospital without any permanent disabilities.

After the ‘accident’ of my life, everything got back to normal again, but I wasn’t the same person who I was before the ‘accident’.

While I was in the hospital, I thought about myself and my life seriously for the first time in my life.

The conclusion I reached was that I had never believed in myself before. Simply put, I had never liked myself very much. But even though I had found out what was the reason, I wasn’t happy. There didn't seem to be much I could do to make it better, so I decided to get on with things, and tolerate my life as I had been doing previously.

Then I faced the biggest change of my life.

One year after getting out of the hospital, my parents suggested a trip overseas to celebrate my recovery. I didn’t particularly want to go - especially to somewhere totally new to me, but something made me accept their offer. My parents had already picked Australia as the destination, and I just went along with it.

It - Australia - was totally different from where I lived and I was just shocked and impressed at the same time, so much that I couldn’t take my eyes off everything I saw. I also heard a lot of things about the country, which impressed me even more.

Directly after the trip, I told my parents that I wanted to settle in Australia. They were shocked because I had never talked about what I really wanted to do before, but they supported my decision. I knew it was going to be difficult but, somehow, it seemed to be an opportunity which would never come again. I would be able to start over with completely clean slate.

Now, it’s been more than a year since I came to Australia. I’m only 24 and a student who can’t guarantee anything about the future but, at least, I’m very happy about what I am doing right now, and I’ve never regretted my decision.

Being in hospital was obviously not a pleasant experience, but I’m grateful that I have had that experience, for it gave me a chance to mature and an opportunity to change my life. Without this experience, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

- Kyo Koo 
Notting Hill, Victoria, Australia.