Jose pedals towards Amashova’s finish line
Headway Natal's José Carvalho will compete in the annual Tsogo Sun Amashova race.
IN a single moment, José Carvalho’s life was completely altered.
He suffered a stroke in 2012, just a week after he took part in the Amashova with his teenage son.
He had no choice but to learn to walk, write and, at a later date, ride a bicycle again.
This year, the determined dad will once again take part in the Tsogo Sun Amashova race.
“I was getting ready to fly to Hong Kong, a taxi was scheduled to pick me up in an hour when I had a funny feeling in my chest. A few seconds later I was on the floor calling for my wife,” said the Kloof resident.
For a month after his stroke, José could not stand without any aid, he found putting on his clothes was a trying exercise, could not write and needed to see a speech therapist.
“I had to learn to do everything again.”
He likened learning to write again to a naughty child facing hours of detention, forced to rewrite the same sentence over and over again.
“I had terrible handwriting before, so I had to really concentrate when learning cursive again,” said the determined dad.
His mobility was limited so he stuck to puzzles to keep his mind busy.
With his balance affected, he was unable to take part in many of the sports he enjoyed, from golf and squash to riding his bicycle.
“Things had to change. It is bad enough moving around on solid ground,” he giggled, “so I decided to get myself a recumbent bike and to get active again.”
It has been five years since his stroke and with each passing day he has grown stronger, slowly taking on more projects, trying new things and living life to the fullest.
He soon became lost in the vast worlds and endless opportunities for adventure that books could offer him, he picked up his guitar again and started with projects around the house.
“It is possible I could have another stroke. For the most part I have realised things don’t have to be done in a rush. Everything I do takes me about three to four times longer than the average person, but I laugh to myself and say, ‘I have at least 20 years to do it, so what’s the rush?'”
“You value things differently after your stroke and really appreciate every day,” said the humble 61 year old.
Headway-Natal, a non-profit organisation in Westville for stroke and brain injury survivors, has been instrumental in his recovery.
For the last five years he has embarked on an exercise programme that has helped keep himself fit and healthy.
“There was a time I could not lift an object off a high shelf but their occupational therapists helped me through it all,” said a smiling José.
“You feel different after exercise as it helps you with your mental agility.”
He has taken part in the gruelling Tsogo Sun Amashova four times and plans to add race number five onto his list of achievements.
For the next month he will focus on training for the event, with three to four practice sessions per week, fitting in 15 to 20km rides each time.
“It is such a fun race and it is one day of the year that I can ride on the road and there are no cars. I really enjoy riding, it is quite relaxing and is an escape,” said an excited José.
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