Published on ShanghaiDaily.com (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/)
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200811/20081104/article_379398.htm
Teen girl struggles to recover from lightning strike
Created: 2008-11-4 12:37:19, Updated: 2008-11-4 17:29:32
Author:Chen Qian
A 13-YEAR-OLD girl who was struck by lightning in July is struggling to recover and now has the IQ of a one-year-old baby.
Han Minyi suffered brain damage in the strike and is now receiving neurological treatment at a hospital in Guangdong Province, Information Times reported today.
She can only walk several steps, has to relearn how to speak and needs others to care for her, the report said.
After one month of treatment, she recognizes her parents, but is shy around strangers, the report said.
"She can say some simple words, but can't express herself exactly," Han’s mother surnamed Mai told the newspaper. Sometimes she will tell her mother the ice cream is too “hot”.
"She has feeling and emotion, but fails to speak out," the mother told the newspaper. "She will cry if she sees I'm sad."
Han's classmates have made a lot of digital videos to help her regain her memory and the Meteorological Bureau of Foshan has donated money to help with her medical expenses. However, the family still can not afford the hospital bills.
Mai told the newspaper the family had spent more than 400,000 yuan (US$58,824) since July and that Han’s expenses total about 1,000 yuan per day now. Han's father earns less than 3,000 yuan per month.
The girl and her 15-year-old brother were struck by lightning in a park in the provincial capital of Guangzhou on July 16. Both lost consciousness. Han woke up on August 29, the report said.
The family stopped treatment on her brother 13 days after the accident due to a lack of money. The report did not say what happened to him after treatment was stopped.
Lightning strikes killed 26 people and injured eight others this year in the province, compared to 72 deaths and 69 injuries in 2007, the report said.
Han Minyi suffered brain damage in the strike and is now receiving neurological treatment at a hospital in Guangdong Province, Information Times reported today.
She can only walk several steps, has to relearn how to speak and needs others to care for her, the report said.
After one month of treatment, she recognizes her parents, but is shy around strangers, the report said.
"She can say some simple words, but can't express herself exactly," Han’s mother surnamed Mai told the newspaper. Sometimes she will tell her mother the ice cream is too “hot”.
"She has feeling and emotion, but fails to speak out," the mother told the newspaper. "She will cry if she sees I'm sad."
Han's classmates have made a lot of digital videos to help her regain her memory and the Meteorological Bureau of Foshan has donated money to help with her medical expenses. However, the family still can not afford the hospital bills.
Mai told the newspaper the family had spent more than 400,000 yuan (US$58,824) since July and that Han’s expenses total about 1,000 yuan per day now. Han's father earns less than 3,000 yuan per month.
The girl and her 15-year-old brother were struck by lightning in a park in the provincial capital of Guangzhou on July 16. Both lost consciousness. Han woke up on August 29, the report said.
The family stopped treatment on her brother 13 days after the accident due to a lack of money. The report did not say what happened to him after treatment was stopped.
Lightning strikes killed 26 people and injured eight others this year in the province, compared to 72 deaths and 69 injuries in 2007, the report said.
Shanghai Daily
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