Sabah musician eager to get back on stage after surviving stroke

 

Felix Samunting, or Yeatt to his friends, says he is eager to get back to performing on stage again.

While losing his mobility was devastating, the 49-year-old said it was nothing compared to losing his musical prowess and skills, which he had nurtured since a young age.

“I had perfect pitch before but after the stroke, I lost everything including all sense of musical tempo,” Yeatt told FMT. A perfect pitch is the rare ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of a reference tone.

From that point on, he had gone from someone brimming with high hopes to feeling defeated. Dark thoughts swirled.

“I felt useless, like I was a burden to my family as I was not able to do anything.

“I felt there was no point in living and I admit there were a few times I felt like ending my life,” he said, his voice trembling with sadness and remorse.

He spent some two months battling the demons in his head. Suffice to say, they were bitter and testing times for all in the family.

But thanks to the love and dogged motivation from his wife Caroline Timothy and nine-year-old daughter Melody, as well as other family members and friends, Yeatt‘s spirit is finally on the mend.

“Because of the support system I have, the negative aura is slowly going away. And I started praying again.

Yeatt playing the saxophone before the Covid-19 pandemic. (Felix Samunting pic)

“I am also trying everything that can help me to regain my strength, from physiotherapy and acupuncture to urut kampung (traditional massage),” he said.

Although his family does not celebrate Chinese New Year, it did not stop them from holding a get-together during the recent festive break so that close family and friends could visit him.

Among those who visited were Sabah assistant minister and long-time friend Joniston Bangkuai.

“It’s a small get-together but it’s big for me. I’m really touched that they came over to see me. The laughter and bantering makes me more motivated to be better,” he said.

While the road to full recovery is still considerably long, Yeatt said he has at least begun to overcome his emotional hurdles and that makes the journey to restart his career less difficult.

“I miss playing my saxophone and singing again. I have to start training my vocal chords from scratch, singing ‘do re mi’ as my daily exercise but it’s okay because it’s all part of the process,” he said.

As the sole breadwinner for his family, he said he is aiming to get back to work in less than two years as they are only depending on a monthly cash assistance from the welfare department to get by.

Relatives and friends are also helping his family financially.

“It’s hard work but I know I shouldn’t stress myself out too. What’s important is that I can get back to performing with my band mates again,” Yeatt said.

But who knows? With the kind of family and friends he has, Yeatt might just be back on that stage sooner than we think. - FMT