She taught aqua aerobics until she had a stroke. Now the pool is her place of healing and hope
By
St Luke’s Hospital
, 10 March 2025
From stroke survivor to hydrotherapy warrior: Joyce Tan’s inspiring journey of healing, hope, and quiet faith shows how strength can rise from life’s deepest waters. Photos courtesy of Joyce Tan and St Luke's Hospital.
In 2021, Joyce Tan’s life took an unexpected turn one day, right after she finished teaching an aqua aerobics class.
While driving to meet a friend, she noticed a strange numbness creeping down the right side of her body.
Not realising she was having a stroke, Joyce somehow managed to get herself home. Fortunately, her niece was there, and rushed her to hospital.
Looking back, Joyce recognises several warning signs she had ignored: Dizziness and leg pain three weeks earlier, breathlessness, and she had looked unusually pale. A concerned neighbour had even urged her to seek medical help, but Joyce brushed it off.
Just days after that, the stroke hit.
Joyce visiting Japan in 2003.
Six months later, while recovering from major hip surgery, Joyce suffered another stroke, followed by a seizure that made recovery even harder. At the same time, she was grieving the loss of her mother, whom she had lovingly cared for.
For someone who had always been the steady, dependable one in the family, it was a shock for Joyce to find herself in a hospital bed, unable to walk or write, feeling isolated and abandoned.
With two of her siblings living overseas, it felt like she was facing a new reality alone.
Starting again, one step at a time
After being discharged from hospital, Joyce began her next phase of recovery at St Luke’s Hospital (SLH).
She stayed in the community hospital for five months, undergoing rehabilitation to prepare for life at home.
There, she met David, a pastoral counsellor, who dropped by regularly to pray with her and encourage her to lean on God and her church community.
That spiritual support gave Joyce the space to reflect and begin healing – not just physically, but emotionally too. Bit by bit, she started making peace with the losses she had faced and the new life she was stepping into.
But rebuilding her life wasn’t easy.
Once independent and active, she now relied on a wheelchair and needed help with daily tasks, even something as simple as going to the bathroom.
Joyce and her helper, Krapow.
She also needed to adjust to life with Krapow, a domestic helper she had employed to support her through the transition.
Healing waters
In a beautiful twist of irony, water – something Joyce had once used to help others stay fit – became a key part of her own recovery.
After her stay at SLH, Joyce began hydrotherapy sessions at St Luke’s Day Rehabilitation Centre (DRC).
But this time, the water she had always loved felt different.
The pool used to be her territory, a place where she could relax. Now, she needed assistance just to enter.
“The pool had been my safe space,” Joyce explained. “But this time, I had to relearn everything from scratch. That was humbling.”
Through these sessions, and with the help of her physiotherapist and Krapow, Joyce slowly regained strength in her upper body.
Eventually, she was even able to move herself from bed to wheelchair with minimal assistance.
As her strength improved, she joined the iReX (Integrated Rehabilitation and Exercise) programme at SLH, training three times a week at the community gym with an exercise physiologist.
Her goal? To regain as much independence as possible.
At the community gym at St Luke’s Hospital, Joyce trained with an exercise physiologist three times a week, pushing her limits and gradually building mobility and endurance.
Step by step, she began to move more freely. Eventually, she was able to exercise on her own – something that had once felt impossible.
Quiet but steady faith
Throughout all of this, Joyce’s Christian faith remained a steady anchor for her.
On days when she feels stronger, she would attend church with Krapow. On other days, she would join online services from home.
“One verse that uplifts me continually is James 4:8: ‘Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.’
“Despite everything, I never felt truly alone,” Joyce said.
Her faith journey began in her youth, even though her mother had initially forbidden her and her siblings from attending church.
But over time, her mother came to embrace the faith too.
Joyce hopes to visit her brothers who live overseas soon. Photo from a December 2021 visit, when Covid travel restrictions were easing.
Now with both of parents gone, Joyce holds on even more dearly to her relationship with God and to her siblings, even though they live far apart.
“I’m planning a visit to see my brother and his family in the USA soon,” Joyce said.
Finding purpose in the journey
These days, Joyce has found joy and even humour in her journey of healing.
“I still laugh at how life has turned out – imagine going from teaching aqua aerobics to being the one in hydrotherapy!” she said with a chuckle.
But beyond the humour lies a deep sense of gratitude. Her recovery journey has brought her full circle: Back to the water, back to her community, and back to herself.
“I used to ask, ‘Why me?’” she admitted.
Joyce and Krapow exploring Singapore together.
“But now, I trust that God knows exactly what He’s doing.”
One verse that continues to encourage her is Proverbs 16:3: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”
Joyce now feels blessed, even amidst her struggles.
“I used to regret not managing my health better, but now I’m committed to making the most of this second chance at life.
“I’ll stay healthy, keep moving forward, and lean more fully on God,” she said.
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