ABC reporter gives update on his live 'medical emergency'

ABC news reporter Iskhandar Razak concerned viewers when he appeared during a broadcast with one side of his face seeming to be paralyzed on September 4.

Now, he's issued an update to reassure his worried audience. 

The incident became public when Razak shared a clip of the program on Instagram, and viewers noticed something wasn't right, with one saying, “I’m worried about your eye  your right eye isn’t blinking as well as the other one - is all okay?”

In a post to reassure viewers, Razak said this week, “Good news, it’s not a stroke, but as you can see my face isn’t really reacting as it normally would." 

He added that he had some paralysis on one side of his face.

After thanking those who had reached out in concern as well as healthcare professionals at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, he went on to explain that his condition wasn’t “too serious” and he has no “new neurological problems.”

Razak then shared that he was suffering from Bell’s Palsy and inflammation of the ear nerve, which meant his face was slower to react. 

He added that, on occasion, he’d been able to “force” his eye to shut while working on camera but that some “keen” viewers had noticed his paralysis, so he was taking a few days off to rest and recover.

“Hopefully this will sort itself out with medication and treatment in a few weeks tops,” he added, noting, “if you see me on the streets with an eye patch, you know why.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Iskhandar Razak (@iskraznews)

Razak captioned another post yesterday:

“Health and therapy update. Trying oxygen, red light, heat, ice, massage and music to recover from Bell’s Palsy. But the greatest lift I had so far is the love and support of everyone. Thank you 🙏 #melbourne #australia #health #victoria #bellspalsy”