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Zoey Zhang

A former South Korean flight attendant who lost part of her skull due to a fall has inspired many with her efforts to conquer the speech disorder she was left with as a result of the accident.
Woo Eun-bin, known as Woozakka, has 60,000 followers on YouTube.
Before becoming an influencer, she worked as a member of the cabin crew for Korean Air for about 10 years then went into banking.
She shares her work experiences on social media platforms, including drawing comic sketches of the life of a flight attendant.
In February, she suddenly stopped updating her YouTube channel.
On May 4, Woo released her latest video titled, “This is my daily life without the left side of my skull”.

In the video, she is seen lying in a hospital bed with a deep depression to the left side of her skull, openly discussing the cause of her accident and her recovery status.
The fall happened in the street on January 27 when Woo was on her way to a job seminar. She injured her back and head, causing a brain haemorrhage, hydrocephalus and back fractures.
She underwent a craniotomy operation, where a section of her skull was cut open. About 40 per cent of the left side was removed and is being preserved in cold storage.
“The doctors said I would inevitably continue to have headaches because part of my skull is empty,” Woo said.
“And after the back fracture surgery, I have been wearing a brace for three months.”
She also said that following the accident she was at a very low ebb emotionally.
“Every time I looked in the mirror, it was painful. I did not want to feel sad, so I always wore a brightly coloured hat to cover my head,” she said.
Woo said that since the accident and the surgery, she often forgets simple everyday words.
She also mistakenly calls her mother “dad”, and vice versa, and sometimes refers to her younger husband as her brother.
Doctors explained that severe damage to the brain’s language centre would lead to cognitive and auditory impairment as well as language issues.
“My doctors said that my brain shifted 7mm to the left, causing severe bleeding, which resulted in severe injuries to the left ear, nose and other nerves. Language barriers are inevitable,” Woo said.
Despite facing immense challenges, Woo refuses to give up.
She showed her vocabulary learning notes in the video, saying: “I am now practising speech therapy exercises and have bought about 10 books for primary and secondary students.
“Through reading, I am improving my language skills faster than I imagined,” she added.
Woo will undergo another craniotomy procedure to reimplant the previously removed part of her skull.

Her video has attracted 1.8 million views, inspiring many people on social media.
“Despite facing a desperate situation, you appear in the video to have an optimistic and calm demeanour. You must have great inner strength,” one person said on YouTube.
Someone else, @kimroberto-hp9gn, also shared his experience.
“I’m a 54-year-old man and, 11 years ago, I had surgery for a brain haemorrhage in the US but the surgical site was infected with bacteria, so part of my right skull was removed, “ he said.
“I worked very hard to recover and overcome aphasia and depression. I raised my child well and sent him to college with a four-year scholarship. Eun-bin, you’re doing well too,” the man added.


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People & Culture

Street tumble causes brain haemorrhage, surgeons remove part of cranium
Forgets simple words, recovery videos get 1.7 million views on YouTube


A former flight attendant from South Korea who slipped and fell in the street, badly injuring her head, had to have part of her skull removed causing her to lose language skills.


South Korea

Trending in China

Former South Korean flight attendant loses part of skull in fall, inspires with desire to conquer speech disorder

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Street tumble causes brain haemorrhage, surgeons remove part of cranium Forgets simple words, recovery videos get 1.7 million views on YouTube

Street tumble causes brain haemorrhage, surgeons remove part of cranium

Forgets simple words, recovery videos get 1.7 million views on YouTube