June 21, 2020, was the day when my life turned into a roller coaster. I suffered multiple injuries around my body and broke my teeth. It was that day that I thought life has somehow ended. I kept thinking it was all just a horrible dream. However, it was not. This terrible thing, unfortunately, did happen to me.
The blog you are about to read is about an incident that happened to me on June 21, 2020. This blog may contain pictures of my injuries, and they may scare you a little bit. If you are sensitive to seeing blood and wounds, then you should refrain from viewing the pictures. While I still would like people to know my story, I have made some adjustments. You have options to either view them or not. All you need to do is follow the steps when viewing the pictures. The choice is yours to make.
A SUMMARY OF WHAT HAPPENED
I was out celebrating at night on June 21 in Lan Kwai Fong (Central) because I finally resigned from my job after a painful 17 months of bad management and almost zero employee benefits. I will be free in a month time so I decided to celebrate with my friends and Ryan that fateful night. It was a fun night overall and I’m just looking forward to finding my next work adventure.
We called it a night at around 4 am, and Ryan and I wanted to grab something to eat before going home. We went to a Thai barbecue food stall. While we were queueing for our orders to arrive, we were happily discussing my plans. When our ticket number was called upon, Ryan went to pick up the food. As he was about to grab our order, a Caucasian man suddenly said to him, “Go get your f*cking order”, and he said it twice to Ryan. Ryan was furious because that man was being rude. They began to get into a heated argument. I’m not sure what that guy’s deal was or what was his purpose for being extremely rude and trying to initiate a fight with a stranger. One thing for sure was that he was drunk and aggressive. I believe they both threw punches at each other. I, on the other hand, tried to keep Ryan away. After all, we came here to have something to eat and not to fight with anyone.
We left as I was hoping to avoid any more fights from happening. However, the Caucasian man tailed us and was screaming like a psycho while trying to get to us. I didn’t want Ryan to have anything to do with him anymore so I begged him to go away and so he did hesitantly. While I continued to walk, I heard that guy screaming again from behind and the next thing I know I felt a huge force at my back and I instantly fell to the ground. No, I should say I flew and fell on the ground very hard. I felt the adrenaline of falling and I thought that was it. I remembered screaming, “NOOOOO!” as I was falling.
As soon as I fell, I felt like I was going to pass out but I fought it and I tried to get up. A female police officer lifted me, and I immediately pointed at the guy and told her that he was the one who pushed me down. I was thinking about my iWatch when I fell as it is new. However, I noticed something was wrong. I felt one of my front teeth on my lower lip, and my mouth wasn’t close as normally. Something wasn’t right so I asked the officer what was wrong with my teeth, and she said that I broke my teeth. I panicked, and I began to be frantic. I was crying, and I was wailing. I never wail like that in my life, at least not as an adult. The officer had to calm me down. A few people came to approach me to ask me what happen and to also comfort me.
I was a bit numb when I fell, and I only started to feel the pain of my injuries after losing that adrenaline from the time when I fell. I couldn’t believe this happened to me. The only way for me to know the truth was to see it myself. When I was in the ambulance, I took my phone out and went to see myself from the camera. There, I saw everything. I started to cry, and I wailed again. I even took pictures of me to keep as my own evidence.
RYAN’S SIDE OF THE STORY
I learned from Ryan later on that when I asked him to go away, he did for a few seconds, and then he looked back, and he couldn’t see me anymore as I was already on the ground at the time. The Caucasian guy came near him and was trying to initiate another fight with him. Luckily, police officers were already there.
He was looking for me, but he couldn’t see me, and the officer wouldn’t let him go and find me. He later knew that I fell because a man approached the Caucasian man and said to him, “Hey! Why did you do that to her? I saw what you did.”, and the Caucasian man answered, “The boyfriend punched me.”
The boyfriend punched him, so he tried to get back at his girlfriend. Wow! What a coward! He initiated a problem with Ryan, and when he couldn’t do anything else, he decided to attack me instead. I didn’t do anything to him. What he did was utterly unnecessary, and only a mad person would do that.
Ryan finally saw me while the medic was bringing me to the ambulance. He was deeply saddened and angry at what happened to me.
Before things
went downhill
We looked so happy here. Little did we know that something bad was about to happen.
MY INJURIES
I sustained six injuries all over my body. It was definitely a hard fall. I felt that I literally plunge to the ground. because I felt the adrenaline of falling. I almost lost consciousness when I dropped. I still remember the feeling that I felt on that fateful night even up to this day.
Here are my injuries:
Dental Injuries - My right front tooth was badly damaged and needed to be extracted immediately. My left front tooth was chipped. Another tooth on the right was affected too.
Leg Injury - My right knee was badly scraped and the doctor said that will leave a big scar and may not go away very soon. I may have to do surgery should I wish to get rid of the scar one day.
Forearm - My left forearm had a scratch. Fortunately, it will only leave a temporary scar.
Shoulder - My right shoulder had a huge scrape and It was stinging for the first two weeks. The doctor said this scar will go away eventually. It stings whenever I try to move my right shoulder.
Index Finger - My left index finger had a bruise due to the impact when I fell. Luckily, I didn’t break any bones.
Face - I had a few abrasions on my face. A bit of scrape each on the upper edge of my nose, right forehead and under my right eye (the eye bag area). Luckily, I didn’t break any facial bones and the wounds will go away in a week or two.
MY FIRST TOOTH EXTRACTION
Back when I was still a child, my teeth usually fall on their own. At 29 years old, I had my very first tooth extraction surgery. It was overwhelming and hard to accept because I tried so hard to maintain my teeth. I worked so hard to keep my teeth healthy. Because of this incident, I had no choice but to remove one original tooth. I can still do a tooth implant, but it won’t be genuine anymore and it’s extremely expensive. I had to let go and let the dentist do what was best for me.
The whole surgery was painful and traumatizing. The gum area of my missing tooth was bleeding from time to time until the next day. I literally had to swallow the blood whenever I feel any pressure from my missing tooth. Tooth Extraction is no joke.
So I went to see the dentist right after I’ve given my statement from the police station. My sister, brother-in-law and Ryan were there to accompany me. I was so exhausted and was still in shock, but I had to get my teeth checked as it was hurting a lot. After the extraction, they dropped me off at my home. I was feeling okay when I was with them, but the moment I got home, I cried immediately. Tears were just dripping down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe I’m going through this horrible thing. I think I cried myself to sleep. I had a dream that we managed to avoid the fight without any of us getting hurt. I tried to feel my front teeth the minute I woke up and there it was, it was all real. This is the reality that I need to face. No more crying and feeling sorry for myself. I need to get back up, get better, find a way to cope with this traumatic experience and just merely focus on myself. I can’t do anything when I’m weak both physically and mentally.
BED REST FOR FIVE DAYS
I was struggling to move for the first 5 days. I called in sick and didn’t go to work after 5 days. My sick leaves were unpaid because my work didn’t provide any sick leave benefits and wouldn’t let me use my remaining annual leaves. I was expecting they would be more understanding and adjust to this unforeseen event of my life, given that I never called in sick to work. I can’t rely on any sympathy from my previous employer. My loyalty and hard work meant nothing to them. Unfortunately, I was working for people who don’t give a damn about their employees. It’s great to know that I made the right decision to resign.
I was in bed most of the time. I only get to leave my bed when I need to go to the bathroom. I was limping, and every time I move my wounded leg and shoulder, it was so painful. It was my worst week. I’m usually very active throughout the day. However, my injuries prevented me from moving too much. I spent most of the 5 days sleeping, watching Netflix and messaging my friends. I couldn’t even talk that much because of my teeth.
Eating was also very difficult. Since the dentist extracted my right front tooth and my left front tooth was still chipped, I can’t chew solid food that well. I mostly ate soup, vermicelli noodles (cut into thin slices), and indulged in the food through a bubble tea straw. I felt so helpless, but I’m still thinking positively during those painful days.
BACK TO WORK SITUATION
I went back to work after 5 days because I can’t afford any more unpaid sick leaves. My dentist bills will be very expensive. I was still limping and wasn’t able to move normally like I used to. My work schedule was super hectic, even though my manager knew about my injuries. They just don’t care, and it was disappointing because the least they can do was be lenient with me after working so hard for them. However, seeing my students cheered me up a little bit as they showed their care and concerns.
DAY 6-15
The next 10 days were much better. I can chew solid food, but I need to cut them into thin slices or pieces with a pair of scissors. I used a pair of chopsticks to put the food into my mouth because I’m afraid the spoon may touch my broken teeth. I’m being very extra careful.
Fortunately, it’s face mask season, and I can hide my missing tooth. That made me feel less insecure. However, whenever I’m having dinner with my family or friends in the restaurant, I felt a little bit conscious. I am very observant, and I can see people around us looking at my teeth. That was uncomfortable, but I can’t control people's eyes and what they want to think. I also had to bring my eating tools - a pair of scissors, chopsticks and straws whenever I go out to eat. How humiliating is that? I felt like a baby who can’t chew.
MY FIRST IMPLANT AND FIRST DENTURE
I had my first tooth implant treatment on Day 16. The dentist had implanted the screw. It took over an hour to finish the treatment. It was not painful because I had anaesthesia. However, during the last 15 minutes, the numbness was starting to wear off and I can feel the stitches. My dentist asked if I wanted another shot of anaesthesia and I said no. It was raw but I can handle the pain. I didn't have a choice.
I also got my denture to cover my missing front tooth. It was uncomfortable to wear for the first few days. I had speech problems during those days. I couldn’t pronounce some words with /f/ and /th/ sounds. Eventually, I got used to the denture and began to speak a bit normally. Wearing a denture was a pain in the ass. There were several times I wanted to rip the denture off with my tongue because it was always blocking my tongue and eating with it was another struggle.
DAY 17-22
My injuries started to show some improvements. The abrasions on my face were almost gone. My right shoulder injury and my left forearm injury had been minimized. However, my left index finger was still quite swollen. My teeth remained the same. My left knee wound is healing, and I can notice a big scar coming along. This is going to be horrible - I said to myself at the time.
MY THIRD DENTAL TREATMENT - REMOVE STITCHES AND FILL IN CHIPPED TOOTH
On Day 23, I went back to the dentist to remove the stitches for my tooth implant. The dentist initially wanted to fix my left front tooth - root canal first and then put a crown later on. However, he recommended doing it at my next appointment as he wanted to double-check with the lab, and also to see if the roots in my left front tooth may heal at some point. Instead of doing any surgery, he covered and filled in some cement over to my chipped tooth. Now, I can smile as if my teeth were perfectly normal. However, I’m not supposed to smile too big as my denture may drop. It honestly almost did once when I laughed too wildly.
Here are some of the pictures of me wearing a denture. You can zoom in onto my side teeth and see those metal materials. It looks perfect and painless, eh? However perfect it may look, it was not easy to wear a denture.
Due to the COVID-19, and the sudden increase of positive cases in Hong Kong, my dentist cancelled my next appointment. I will have my treatment when it has settled down. So, the waiting game and frustration start now.
DAY 24-40
Most of my injuries had improved gradually over the next 17 days. By this time, I can walk much better. I am no longer limping. However, since I have been massaging my left index finger, one small part of the skin ripped off. My skin is sensitive. I should have massaged it more gently. The abrasions on my face became very light. I almost did not have to put any concealer on anymore. My knee injury remained the same. I feel like the wound was not progressing any better.
On day 35, I was finally able to workout again. I needed to wait for my knee wound to get a bit better. I started to do some simple exercises. I tried to avoid exercises that require bending my knees. Going back on track was definitely helpful as I normally would workout at least 3 times a week. Skipping a month was a total bummer!
Feeling myself
again
I lost a bit of weight since I couldn’t eat a lot of food. I mostly ate soup, noodles and very thin slices of meat.
DAY 41-59
On Day 41, I had some bed bites over my left knee very close to the wound. It was itchy, and I scratched it for a bit. I immediately put more cream frequently. The wound on my left knee has reached the maturation stage and was turning into a scar. However, the scar wasn’t developing well and didn’t look like any regular scar. My teeth remained the same. I’m still waiting for my next appointment once the third wave is over in Hong Kong. The rest of the injuries gradually improved.
DAY 60 ONWARDS
The following days had been slightly getting better. My injuries were slowly fading away. However, my knee injury was progressing very slowly. I went to see a doctor at some point to have it tested. The doctor said my knee scar has turned into a keloid scar. He gave me two options for treatment - steroid injection or silicone pads. Steroid injection has faster effects than silicone pads, so I choose to get the injection. Oh my God! It was very painful. That thing hurt a lot. I was trying to hold the pain because I want it to get better. Having that scar was quite humiliating. People often ask about it and it reminds me of what happened to me. It’s embarrassing and traumatizing at the same time. The horrible memories always come back to mind. I’m supposed to get 2 more steroid shots for my knee. However, I didn’t want to do it anymore as it truly traumatized me. I always put scar gel twice a day. I can see some slow improvement and I do believe that it will eventually go away.
My teeth injuries were getting better as I’ve been seeing my dentist regularly for check-ups and treatment. I spent many hours laying on that chair and enduring all the pressures and pains from the surgeries. I try to keep myself strong because all I want was to get my teeth fixed so I can eat properly, smile normally and talk accurately.
On day 183, I finally went for my last treatment. It was the day when my dentist completed all the treatments that needed to be done. My teeth look great! I can smile without feeling conscious. I was so excited and I took a picture of myself right when I left the clinic and sent it to Ryan, my family and friends.
I believe I also suffer from PTSD even up to this day. I feel terrified of walking down the stairs or walking down a steep path whenever someone is behind me. I’m scared that I may get push or trip over by the person behind me. I try to be as alert as I can. Every time someone tries to touch my back, I always jump. You see, that never use to happen until that incident. Moreover, whenever I’m out in a restaurant or a bar while sipping a glass, I always have this thought that I might break my teeth. I try to fight this negative feeling but sometimes it’s really hard not to think about what could happen. I’m the type of person who doesn’t like surprises. That incident was a total bombshell. PTSD is real and it is happening everywhere and to anyone.
Scar is slowly
fading away…
I still get people asking me about my scar and each time I tell them what happened, it is like I’m reliving the night when it all occurred. I learn to just let it go. Sometimes when I don’t feel like saying anything, I just tell people that I tripped myself, end of the story.
HOSPITAL AND POLICE CASE
After a few moments when I fell, an ambulance arrived and the medics assisted me to go in the ambulance as I can barely walk on my own. When I get to the hospital, I had to do some x-rays to check if I have any broken bones, and thankfully there were none. I was injected with a Tetanus vaccine because I had many open wounds. That injection was painful as hell. A nurse also cleaned and applied medicine to the wounds around my body. It was stinging a lot and I screamed painfully. Unfortunately, the hospital can’t treat my teeth as I need to go to a private dentist for treatment.
Some police officers approached me while I was in the hospital. They were all asking the same questions - What happen to you? Who attack you? Do you know him? Where were you? Who are you with? All the same questions and repeatedly asking me. I was getting very frustrated because I, for one, was already suffering. I did not appreciate them coming to me asking me the same questions. None of them offered me a wheelchair. They were all just watching me as I try to walk my way from one station to another for checking and treatment.
I came face-to-face with the Caucasian guy who pushed me. How did that happen? Well, I was called to a nurse ward for another check-up and there he was. I couldn’t help but speak to him, and asked him questions like - Why did you push me? What have I done to you? He couldn't look at me as if no one was talking to him. His girlfriend or his female friend was being unpleasant to me and even had the audacity to say something to me. She said, “Honey, we can’t see.” meaning she can’t see what happened to me. I went ballistic and I had to say something back to her. I showed her my teeth, opened my mouth wide open (I regretted that, but it was worth it). Right after I showed her the horrifying condition of my teeth, she looked away feeling disgusted. Well, that shut her up! I had never had a verbal confrontation with any stranger like that before. The police had to stop us from having any altercation. That was so unnecessary for her to speak to me sarcastically. She was not the one who got hurt.
My friend, Yuko came to accompany me until I was released from the hospital. After that, I had to go to the police station to give my statement. The whole process took longer to finish. I was in pain and at the same time, I need to give my statement, trying to recollect everything that happened. The officer took pictures of my injuries as part of the evidence. At the time, I was contradicting on who to call. I didn’t want to call my mother because she would be worried sick. In the end, it was best to call my sister. I briefly told her everything and she quickly came to be with me as soon as she can with my brother-in-law. It was very nice of them to come and stayed with me until Ryan was finally released and given his statement.
There were a few things I didn’t like when I was being questioned by the officers. They kept asking me these questions - Who pushed you? Did you see him push you? How did you know it was him? Do you think it’s someone else who pushes you? Was there anything on the ground? Did you trip over? I didn’t appreciate that they were all asking me the same questions over and over again. Were they trying to test me if I was going to say the same answers? I was badly injured and this questioning completely wasn’t helpful to me at all. Somehow, I sort of doubted myself. I started to question my mind and thinking maybe it was all just in my head or I’m making things up. However, I didn’t let them manipulate the situation and for what happened to me. I stayed strong mentally and I trusted myself. Also, the CCTV footage can prove everything. There are a lot of cameras everywhere where the incident happened. It happened in Pedder Street. My statement would match with no doubt.
THE FRUSTRATION I FEEL ABOUT THE CASE
After giving my statement to the CID officer, the only thing she said to me was to wait for them to call me back for updates. They never did for months. I tried calling 3 times to follow up on the case but to no avail. I didn’t get the answer that I wanted. All they had to say to me was to wait, unfortunately.
I was feeling hopeless and helpless. I try to be patient as cases like mine may take a while to resolve. However, I wish I knew what was going on or if there was an actual case at all. I felt that I have already lost, and no one will be held accountable for what happened to me. This 'waiting for their call' tactic was absurd.
A CALL AFTER 6 MONTHS AND THE VERDICT
I finally received a call from the CID after 6 months, and I was thrilled. At the time, I was near to having my teeth fixed, and when I received that call, I was pleased to hear from them. I asked my sister to come along with Ryan and me to meet the CID officer as my sister can speak Cantonese and communication would be easier having her there with us.
It was a different officer this time as the previous one no longer handles our case, so he took over our case. He briefly went over the statement made by myself and confirmed some information about the assault. He also asked how were my injuries. He then explained the situation and their investigation.
According to their investigation, both Ryan and the Caucasian guy were involved in a heated argument. However, Ryan threw the first punch, which resulted in the guy reacting violently towards me. He pushed me because he had a dispute with Ryan. It was a chain reaction. It was a total no-brainer, and he was drunk at the same time too. He admitted to pushing me because he was drunk. He did not mention any heated argument with Ryan. The police learned about that from me, and they had to investigate. The officer gave me two options - settle or go to court. He also explained that if I pursue the assault case, the guy would potentially be put behind bars, and so does Ryan. I was the sole victim in this case. That is how the judge would see it. If I settle, I could claim the expenses for my injuries. The best way was to settle as going to court would be very expensive and would take a long time to end the case. Also, I don’t ever wish to ever to see that Caucasian man again. I’m afraid that seeing him may trigger my traumatic experience in violence.
Honestly, I don’t fully agree with the investigation and verdict concluded by the detectives. I don’t agree with the guy's chain reaction and his excuse of being drunk. I don’t think it was fair for me. I suffered multiple injuries and I had to leave with this experience and PTSD for the rest of my life. However, there was not much that I can do. I could get myself a lawyer, but that would cost lots of money. Even if I did get a lawyer and if I pursue the case, Ryan would be in trouble. Both of them could end up behind bars, and I certainly didn’t want that to happen. I wouldn’t want to send anyone to jail. I am alive, and even though I had many injuries and have to live with dental implants for the rest of my life, I still don’t want to put someone behind bars. I admit I was very angry when my injuries were still fresh. I remembered saying that I would do everything that I can to find justice. However, my wounds were slowly healing and getting my teeth fixed certainly helped me heal spiritually too. I have a change of heart towards the whole situation. I healed physically, and so did my mind. I will never forget what happened to me, but I believe in moving on.
I was pleased to hear from the officer that the guy admitted that he pushed me and would pay for the cost. Now, that for me was showing some remorse for what he did.
The officer asked whether I want to go to court or settle the case, and I choose to settle it once and for all. I want this to be over, and hopefully, I get the settlement before Christmas and my 30th birthday. He asked to see my medical receipt, and he was pretty shocked when he saw how much I spent on my dental treatment. I spent about HK$47,000. Dental treatments in Hong Kong are expensive!
I signed my final statement that day, and my sister will be the main person to be contacted regarding the settlement. She spoke with the guy’s lawyer, and we agreed to settle with half payment of my dental bills. However, I was hoping I could get the full amount, but I agreed to half to get it over and done with. I got my cheque in the next few days, and I signed a settlement letter. I can’t claim any more cost should I change my mind later on. It was a tough decision to make but I know what’s the right thing to do. I can’t believe I went through all these things. I am just glad that it was all over. It was uncomfortable to be put into that situation.
FORGIVENESS AND A PEACE OF MIND
Even though the man who assaulted me never asked for my forgiveness nor apologize personally for what he had done to me. However, I needed to move on and find peace. I realized that I should not stay angry or upset. I need to find peace.
Some people advise me not to forgive too quickly, and I should always hold him accountable. However, holding grudges and clinging to what happened would not do me any good. What he did to me was extremely wrong from many angles. However, given the situation, I would like to believe that it was not his sole intention to hurt me like that. He was drunk and he was not in his right mind. His anger got the best of him. I have thought about it hard and long. Moving on was the best way to handle the situation. However, I will never forget what happened, but at least I can try to live peacefully.
Whatever happened, in the end, was not exactly the perfect one. However, we do not always get what we want. The only way I could continue to deal with this is to stay strong and think positively that everything will be alright. What is more important is to keep going and don’t let any obstacle stop me from living.
SEEING THINGS WITH A SILVER LINING
“Always find the good things in every problem.”
That is what my mother always tells me whenever I face problems. I should always find the good things in whatever happens to me. She taught me the most meaningful thing I needed to know in life and that is to treat every obstacle with a silver lining. I have never once given up on my situation. I moved forward, and I tried my best to live life as normally as I could. Sure, there were times when I felt hopeless, but I just kept going.
I learned many things from this incident and I am thankful to everyone who helped me during my difficult times and gave everything they could to help me out. The simple gesture like asking how am I doing and listening to my struggles was already good enough for me. I am also thankful to my dentist for doing everything he can to preserve and fix my teeth. He made sure I got my denture as soon as possible so I didn’t have to feel insecure about my missing and chipped teeth. He tried his best to finish all my surgeries in 6 months. That was impressive!
I’m just happy to be alive and still able to do things I normally do. I finally got my 2 front teeth fixed. I always feel insecure about them because they were too forward and made me look like I have bunny teeth. It took me a long time to finally learn to cherish my imperfections. However, sometimes I still felt very insecure about my teeth and that is why I don’t have a lot of pictures with my teeth out. Because of this incident, I had to get them fixed. Now, this was probably the best thing that came out of that whole nightmare. My brand new front teeth were the silver lining.
My teeth before
I rarely smile with my teeth out because I’m quite conscious of how forward my 2 front teeth were. I got the bunny teeth!
Embracing our
teeth =D
My nephew and I were video chatting one time and he decided to show me his missing teeth. I was like if this kid is proud of his teeth, why should I be ashamed of my 1 missing tooth? So we both smiled with our missing teeth and took a screenshot!
VIOLA!
The outcome of my dental injuries to 6 months of treatments. I’m very pleased that I don’t have the gap in between my 2 front teeth. I can smile without feeling conscious now. Sometimes, I feel like that isn’t me in the picture or whenever I look at myself in the mirror. I guess I’m just not used to having no gaps. =D
Yours Truly,
Michelle Chan
