By THO XIN YI
Hearty meal: The guests indulging in a variety of Malaysian delights at the Seri Penang Restaurant.
NATIONAL Stroke Association of Malaysia (Nasam) founder Janet Yeo set an example by hosting a Big Breakfast herself to raise funds for the organisation.
Some 150 guests had a jolly time chatting with each other and feasting on Malaysian fare like Char Kuey Teow, Assam Laksa and Fried Popiah at Seri Penang Restaurant in Atria Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya, on Friday.
The RM30 contributed by each of them went straight to the organisation, while the total bill was footed by Yeo.
Some of the guests also contributed more and were rewarded with a goodie bag.
Yeo, who formed Nasam 14 years ago, said she had a stroke in 1989.
After having undergone rehabilitation in Singapore and the United States, she was eager to share her knowledge of stroke with more people.
“Nasam started in my garage with the goal of helping stroke patients to be functioning again, and leading a normal life as much as possible,” she said.
She wanted to spread the message that stroke was preventable by leading a healthy lifestyle, and it was important to be able to identify the symptoms of stroke.
“I wish I knew that 20 years ago. I would have sought medical help immediately instead of going to work. The brain damage would be much less if the patient is rushed to the hospital quickly,” she said.
Spreading the message: The guests listening attentively to the speech by Yeo (standing, in white).
Nasam focuses on rehabilitation programmes for stroke patients after they are discharged from hospital.
There are physiotherapists and speech therapists to help the patients recover.
“We provide emotional, physical and spiritual assistance, but a motivated patient will recover faster with strong family support,” Yeo said.
The Big Breakfast event was initiated this year with the concept of having people to host breakfast in their own offices or homes, and contribute funds to the organisation.
Yeo said the event had raised about RM200,000 so far.
“It’s still far from our target of RM1mil, but hopefully it will be an annual event to support the running of our eight centres,” she said.
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