Inspector bounces back after surgery
A policeman who has just undergone successful brain surgery nine years after being shot in the head said yesterday he was looking forward to returning to work.
Senior Inspector Chan Sze-ki, 37, cheated death when the bullet hit his nose, travelled up through his skull and out at the top of his head.
The attack, during a gunfight with robbers in Tai Kok Tsui on April 24, 1992, damaged his frontal lobe, leading to a loss of smell and poor short-term memory.
Speaking from his wheelchair just three days after his operation in Kwong Wah Hospital, Inspector Chan said: 'I have served the police force for 19 years and everyone knows my enthusiasm for my work. I hope I will be back at work soon.'
This was the fourth major operation he has undergone since he was shot. The aim was to mend a one-centimetre hole in his skull, which, if left untreated, could have led to a potentially fatal form of meningitis.
'I feared pain and was also a bit worried as they pushed me into the operating theatre . . . I woke up very soon after the surgery and felt very cold. I actually shouted, 'It's freezing here'.
'At the moment, I feel lucky I have survived another crisis.'
Inspector Chan was quick to praise the work of the chief of service at the hospital's neurosurgery department, Dr John Kwok Ching-kwong, and consultant neurosurgeon Dr Christopher Poon Yee-fat.
'After all the years being taken care of by Dr Kwok, I trust his skill very much. I also believe that a person's fate is predestined.
'It's nearly nine years since I was shot. I have suffered a number of complications that are not too serious but not insignificant, including a loss of sense of smell and problems with my short-term memory.
'Since last year, my condition has deteriorated. I have shaky hands and worsening eyesight. So I made the difficult decision to leave aside my work and take the risk of the operation.'
Dr Kwok said part of Inspector Chan's brain was stuck in the hole in his skull, causing frequent headaches, infections and mild meningitis. But he said the inspector could resume his normal work.
