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Linda Yeung

Irene Ryder stepped into the resource centre at the Prince of Wales Hospital in a cheerful mood, nodding amiably to everyone who either knew or recognised her.

  Then the former recording star grew solemn as she entered the functions room, where two victims of the Pat Sin Leng hill-blaze were eagerly waiting for her visit.

   Also inside was a Radio Television Hong Kong crew ready to record Ryder's encounter with the two disfigured teenagers on film. Segments of the meeting will be broadcast on its health programme Doctor and You, in an upcoming episode on reconstructive surgery.

   'I slept only very little last night, wondering what to say to them. I have never studied counselling,' she nervously confessed afterwards.

   Ryder, too, had to muster courage to meet with the young victims, both of whom are still wrapped in pressure garments and can only move around in wheelchairs.

  For the sight was bound to evoke painful memories: Ryder went through a similar experience 19 years ago.

   It was a chilly winter's evening in January 1977. The Eurasian singer, also a well-known beauty at the time, was at the height of her career. Her Godfather album, released three years earlier, was a runaway success, outselling most local LPs of that period. She was top-billing at exclusive nightclubs, and her popularity also made her a frequent guest on television.

  She was returning home from a hair salon and was about to open the gate to her building on Hillwood Road when her attacker struck.

  Just as she turned her head, someone suddenly threw burning fluid at her from behind, causing her face to catch fire.

  A frantic Ryder tore off her burning coat and vest and clapped her hands over her face to try to put out the flames.

   That probably saved her life but she suffered horrible burns and it was to be a long and agonising time before they healed. The sunglasses she was wearing at the time had melted into the skin around her nose, leaving scars that are still visible today.

  Most of one ear, now covered by flowing hair, was gone. One side of her face became badly swollen and needed skin graft and reconstructive surgery.

  The massive burns also caused both wrists to shrink so badly it hindered blood circulation.

  To allow blood to flow, doctors made a slit down the middle of her wrists; so for nine months following the operation Ryder had to lie in a hospital bed with both hands held in an upward position to maintain circulation.

  Having her open wounds cleaned was pure agony, she recalled, and in the beginning she had to have as many as 10 injections each day to ease the pain.

  A couple of months ago, however, Ryder returned to the spotlight when she took part in an RTHK concert featuring popular singers of the past.

  Since then she has received a number of engagements, including a performance at next year's Arts Festival.

  But the Seventies star insists she does not crave the limelight and her meeting with the young fire victims is certainly not for publicity.

  Nonetheless, hospital staff are glad she came.

  Leung Kit-yee, a medical social worker at the burns unit, pointed out: 'Her visit is very useful.

  'The victims [four are still hospitalised] know there is a long way to go in their recovery process but they may not think their parents or others around them understand what they are going through because they have not experienced it themselves.

  'Irene is different, they may trust her more.'   Showing the scars on her hands, Ryder gave motherly advice to the two victims, Cheung Yun-hang, 12, and Chan Chor-man, 14.

  'You must continue to wear the pressure garments. It is very important for recovery. You have to keep doing physiotherapy as well, no matter how painful that is,' she urged. 'You're much luckier than me, with the modern medical equipment today,' she added.

  Urging the young fire victims to have courage and keep up their treatment, Ryder recalled how she once tried to kill herself by jumping from the hospital building. A nurse spotted her near the window and held her back.

  'I lost almost everything,' said Ryder, 47, who started singing at the age of 16. 'But my friends gave me a lot of support. At first I avoided them, then later I realised it was wrong not to face reality. Many of my friends are really good people; they accept me as I am and are happy for me in my return to the stage.'    A devout Catholic, Ryder has fond memories of the concert fellow singers staged to raise money for her costly operations.

  'Time can heal whatever wounds,' said Ryder, who last year contributed to a Samaritans booklet urging people to treasure their lives.

  'I always try to look on the bright side of things. But the values I hold may be different from that of many today. People today seem only to live for the day and for themselves.'   In her case, the attack also proved to be an awakening experience. Previously, said Ryder, she was uncomfortable with sharing her feelings with others. But her friends' overwhelming support and concern encouraged her to open up.

  'You should not let the people who have tried to help you down,' said Ryder. 'Many people in this world are really kind-hearted.'    Her parents, especially, were wonderfully comforting and supportive, she said. They cared for her baby daughter while she went through her divorce during treatment, and humoured her emotional outbursts following her discharge from hospital.

  'There are things more important than fame and fortune. I still have my daughter and parents. They are worth more than millions to me.'   Ryder feels she has since developed into a stronger person. 'It is a selfish to commit suicide. You would hurt people around you by doing so,' she stressed, expressing dismay at the rising suicide rate in Hong Kong. 'People nowadays seem to be less considerate of others' feelings.'   The attacker who ended Ryder's singing career has never been found. Yet, perhaps to the surprise of some, she has never been bothered about catching the culprit.

  'What evidence can you possibly have?' she asked. 'It could just be a weirdo who did it.'   The setbacks in her career were expected. By the time she resumed performing a few years later, the pop music scene had changed. English songs, for which she was known, had been overtaken by Canto-pop, and Ryder, who could not read Chinese, was left out in the cold.

     Instead she devoted herself to bringing up her daughter, now 20, although she still accepted singing engagements. In fact, love for her daughter and parents provided the main impetus for her to get on with her life.

  Of course, losing some of her looks was also a big blow. Sometimes, she says half-jokingly, she envies women about her age who still look great.

  'I began to understand that one cannot expect to have everything in life. I was once famous, beautiful and successful. That's enough.

  'When I was very popular, I wasn't very happy; I had little time for myself. I would think twice now if I have to give up my privacy for money.'   And she frowns at the mention of people who decide to end their lives because of poor school results, love affairs turned sour or financial debts. They need not destroy themselves, she insists.

   'I worked very hard for what I had. Everyone can achieve something in his life. People should give themselves more time. Committing suicide is but a decision made on the spur of the moment.'   Rather than feel bitter about her tragedy, she said: 'What happened has shown me that there are both good and bad people in this world. If you learn to forgive and let go of things, you will be a happier person.' 



Learning from Irene's road to recovery