Manila bus survivor Yik Siu-ling recovering in Taiwan after operation
Woman who was shot in the face has jaw reconstructed and will return home soon
Yik Siu-ling, who was shot in the face during the Manila bus hostage siege in 2010, will return to the city on January 10 after a successful operation in Taiwan to rebuild her shattered lower jaw.
"Thanks to the successful operation by Dr Wei Fu-chan, I have great confidence that I'll be able to lead a normal life again," Yik said by telephone yesterday.
The 37-year-old went to Taiwan on December 11 and had surgery a week later at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital after 33 unsuccessful attempts in Hong Kong.
Wei, who led a team that performed the 11-hour microsurgery, said Yik could be discharged in about a week, and would then spend another week in Taiwan.
"The most difficult part of her case was to find usable blood vessels that can provide adequate blood supply around her neck area in order to facilitate reconstruction and normal functioning of her lower jaw," said Wei, an expert in reconstructive surgery.
Wei said the difficulty in locating usable blood vessels was due to severe damage and deformity caused by the gunshot wound and the previous operations.