Book Title: My Stroke of Luck, Alphabet to Author
Author: Vijay Santhanam
Genre: Inspirational
Publication: Hay House
Pages: 231
Price: INR 299
Life takes a twist when something unexpected happens and one requires a lot of courage to accept the reality and move on with it. When I received the book and before I opened it, the title of the book made me think what the book can be about? Would it be gaining wealth through luck and how is alphabet related to an author.
The author explains how his health conditions were prior to stroke and the symptoms of it. Had he been not ignorant of the symptoms, there were chances that he would not have not had a stroke. He was admitted to the hospital at Singapore at a right time by his wife.
Vijay writes in detail how his condition was at hospital and how his head went blank when he could not understand what was going on and why he was on a hospital bed. Most of us use the left brain and hence the right side of the body is more used. When a stroke occurs, the left brain is affected and he loses the ability to speak or even reason. He could not recognize the numbers nor the alphabets, post stroke.
The author also explains how essential it is necessary to take care of oneself in such conditions. He once fell off the bed in hospital and it required others assistance to lift him and put him to the bed. Ever since then, he made sure, he would be more cautious and be careful of the surroundings.
Most of us get into depression and keep thinking of "what has happened" or "Why did it happen to me?", "What wrong had I done to others, that the almighty is punishing me." I am sure most of us would crib and cry when such a thing happens. And worse happens, when your family and friend, remind you and convey a "sorry, it shouldn't have happened to you", the more it hurts than what has actually happened. But here, the author says, he never thought of the past or questioned the almighty, "why it happened to me". There are many people who undergo a stroke but do not have sufficient financial fund to pay off their medical bills or afford for physical therapies. He thanks his family and friends for being supportive during his recovery phase. They never let him feel low or made him feel that he was helpless.
Last but not the least, it is the will power that makes a person achieve what he wants. If your will power is strong, then nothing can stop you from overcoming the major difficulties in life. The answer lies within one's self. Its left to an individual, on how they face the challenge in life.
The author has written using simple vocabulary and provides an easy reading. The book is on similar lines as the book:
Tuesdays with Morrie which is based on a professor who is diagnosed an incurable disease and how he copes up with the harsh reality.
About the author:
Vijay Santhanam graduated from IIT, Roorkee and IIM-A. He has worked in major corporate sectors like P&G and BP. He is the co-author of books, If Cricket is a Religion, Sachin is God (2009) and The Business of Cricket: The Story of Sports Marketing in India(2011). He currently lives in Singapore.
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