Xu Zhetai (20A05)

Xu Zhetai (20A05) faced an untimely brush of death, but took it as a second chance in life.

An untimely brush with death, a second chance at life

For an athletic boy who looks the picture of health, one would not have guessed that Xu Zhetai, had once suffered from cardiac arrest and spent weeks in hospital in a coma in his second year with the college. The Co-Curricular training session for the avid basketballer had started out typically enough, but an unexpected twist-of-fate brought a devastating end to the day.

The day’s drills was especially daunting with the hot sun beating down on the players. Zhetai rested at the side bench, catching his breath. Unbeknownst to him, a misfortune was beckoning. Zhetai recalled the life-changing moment just before his collapse, “One minute I was feeling fine, and the next I had lost all sensations.” At the court, his lanky body lay – unmoving and unresponsive. A flurry of events soon followed. Joshua, a fellow basketballer and classmate of Zhetai recalled, “I remembered seeing him being attended to by the teacher-in-charge and the basketball coach immediately. I had thought it was simply heat exhaustion. Little did I realise it was something much more serious – my best friend was not breathing; there was neither a pulse nor any vital signs.” As the teacher called for an ambulance immediately and took the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) kit, Joshua sprang into action quickly, taking turns with his coach and teacher to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and administer two AED shocks until the ambulance arrived.

Fortunately, doctors managed to revive Zhetai. However, his condition was not stable and he was put into an induced coma for a week. "When I woke up and was told what had happened. I could not believe it. I couldn’t remember any of it” Zhetai said. As it turned out, Zhetai had a congenital heart defect in which the left coronary artery arises anomalously from the pulmonary artery – a condition that both Zhetai and his parents were unaware of. The necessary yet urgent treatment involved an operation on his heart. This carried a substantial amount of risk, considering that he had just awoken from his coma. “It was a difficult time for us,” his mother, Mdm Wang Xuanping, shared, “First we didn’t know if he would even wake up, and then now – this risky surgery. We almost lost him once, we didn’t want to lose him again.”

Miraculously, Zhetai pulled through the ordeal without any permanent damage done to his organs. The recovery process however, was lengthy and complicated as the surgery scars required special care and attention. Furthermore, Zhetai was still rather weak. Cognitively, he suffered some memory loss. Physically, the many months of laying in bed had diminished his dexterity and he had to undergo physiotherapy to regain his muscle strength and balance. Emotionally, Zhetai was also feeling anxious about missing much of school. Fortunately, friends and loved ones were very supportive. “My family was also one of the biggest pillars of emotional support throughout my time of recovery. They encouraged me to focus on my recovery positively and not worry about anything else. While the medication caused my memory to be fuzzy, I certainly did remember loved ones taking time to visit and check in on my recovery” Zhetai said. Indeed, besides regular visits, Joshua would video-call him every day. “The many tubes that were attached to Zhetai preventing him from speaking much. Nonetheless I wanted to call every day so he would feel included rather than alone,” Joshua explained.

Zhetai credited his friend Joshua for helping him through the difficult recovery, “Joshua was one of the people who first responded when I collapsed. I still cannot thank him enough for saving my life. Being the only other student with the exact same subject combination as me, he also took efforts to collect my worksheets and notes across the various subject. When I needed help with the work, he also guided me ever so patiently.” Zhetai revealed gratefully. The notes of encouragement from classmates and team mates were an added source of strength. “It was heart-warming to read the many text messages of well wishes. I realised that there were so many people who supported me,” Zhetai added.

In no time, Zhetai got back on his feet quickly. After three months of home-recovery, he could finally return to college. Still having vivid recollection of that day, Zhetai remembered feeling both anxious and excited. “I wanted to surprise my classmates and so I entered the classroom when lessons had just begun. Everyone welcomed me back with open arms. It almost felt like I never left, and it did not really feel out of place being back with everyone.”

Nonetheless, the realities of the heavy curriculum remained daunting. While he had tried his best to catch up while on home-recovery, being back meant there were more new topics to grapple with. He was determined to make up for lost time. “I just did not want to fall too behind and be an additional burden to my teachers and classmates. It was a significant challenge as the time away from school meant that I had also forgotten some things I had previously learnt,” he shared. The caring college environment also provided him with both emotional and academic support. “My teachers constantly reminded me not to worry about keeping up so as not to be overwhelmed. Instead, they advised me to go at my own pace and gave me the assurance that I was managing fine.” His teachers were with him every step of the way, making time for private consultations, sometimes with Joshua in tow. “My teachers would schedule to see me for consultations during their breaks and even after school. They also provided additional materials for me to have better understanding of the topics and always told me not to worry about the results of the exams or tests,” Zhetai said. With their tireless and constant guidance, he caught up within a few months.

Zhetai’s love for his academic subjects also helped ease the process. “My teachers, Mrs Tan-Lim Soh Whee and Dr Kelvin Sng really made lessons really interesting. In the classroom, interdisciplinary subjects came alive – the laws of translation, the Chinese culture, the rich history behind it, and the literature aspects amalgamated well together, which facilitated my learning,” Zhetai said. His teachers also noted his determination, “Zhetai had a lot on his plate. Despite it being a challenging task, he never once complained. In fact, he was very focused and remained ever so determined,” commented Mdm Shalwa Mohamed Taib, his form teacher.

His untimely brush with death enabled Zhetai to glean important lessons. He reflected, “I am really thankful that I got another chance in life, literally. I am really lucky. Today, I have a new outlook on life and treasure everything around me more, I really want to live life to the fullest!”

Zhetai hopes to pursue a course in Translation and Interpretation or Language studies in the Faculty of Arts, in Nanyang Technological University or National University of Singapore.