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SCMP Reporter

Former Phoenix Television anchorwoman Tanya Liu Hai-jui is making a remarkable recovery from head injuries suffered in a London train crash six months ago, her surgeon said yesterday.

Dr Ling Feng, of Beijing's Xuanwu Hospital, who was in Hong Kong for a medical conference, said the 34-year-old's recovery had exceeded expectations.

She said Liu had the support of friends and colleagues to thank for her progress. 'Ms Liu's family and Phoenix TV have been extending boundless care and support for her treatment,' she said.

'Ms Liu's strong will and diligence have helped the recovery of her functions, which has been beyond our expectations.

'She spends six hours exercising every day and now can perform basic movements like eating and sitting up. She has also started writing a diary. She can conduct simple conversations and has spoken about things that concern her most.'

Liu, a Taiwanese financial newsreader, was critically injured in the train crash in Potters Bar, London, on May 10.

She was sent to a hospital in Britain and was close to being declared brain dead before she was flown back to Beijing in June. Her two friends - Lin Chia-hsin, 29, a former reporter at Taiwan's China Television Company, and Wu Chia-ching, 32, a reporter for the Taiwanese cable network TVBS - died in the accident.

Liu spent weeks in a coma after the crash.

Dr Ling said her philosophy was never to give up hope but to put 100 per cent effort into treating her patient - while remaining sensible about the chances of recovery.

'She awoke from her coma after only two months, whereas we initially predicted that it would take half a year. She has an earnest desire to return to work, but I think she needs one or two years to achieve this,' Dr Ling said.

'It's difficult to say for definite when she will be fully recovered because the human brain is such a complex system that accurate prediction is almost impossible.'



Doctor hails TV journalist's recovery from crash injuries