by Connie Lau

Once an easy-going and pleasant person, Ken Yu can only blink his eyes to express his reactions now after three strokes. Through his eyes, we can see his gratefulness for the care and assistance from the "Digital Family". Often filled with tears and joy, his eyes tell us that he knows his sons' education is taken care of and he is thankful.

Two strokes in two weeks

In June 1999, Ken had a stroke in Beijing. This was the second stroke in his life. The first one was in 1997. Fortunately, he was with his friends when it happened and he was sent to the Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital in time. After a minor surgery, he was sent to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and everything was under control. When I visited him, he promised me not to smoke or drink liquor anymore.

Two weeks later, the third stroke happened. Close to 200cc of blood was stuck in his brain and he needed a brain operation. A piece of skull of 7cm diameter was dislocated on the left side of his head. This stroke caused big damage to Ken's brain cells and vocal cords, making him unable to talk or speak.

After the operation, Ken was unconscious for almost a month. When he woke up, he could hardly move his body or speak a word. He could only blink his eyes, often with tears.

Life maintained but no more improvement

After staying in the ICU for two more months, Ken showed no visible improvement. With the approval of his family, Ken was transported to Hong Kong and admitted to the Queen Mary Hospital in October of the same year.

In Jan 2000, the doctor of Queen Mary Hospital told us that a large portion of Ken's brain was damaged. The damaged portion was even greater than that before the pneumonia – a lung illness. Some brain cells had been damaged due to the lack of oxygen supply during the pneumonia.

Ken was eventually sent to a nursing home in North Point because he was not allowed to occupy a bed permanently in the hospital once the doctor confirmed there would be no further improvement, but only life maintenance.

Ken will never walk or talk again. He will remain the same even after years. Any surgery of relocating the piece of skull is unnecessary because he cannot walk.

Two sons who needed care

Simon is Ken's elder son. He is mentally retarded due to birth complication. He was sixteen at the time of Ken's incidence and he needs a full-time maid for care in Hong Kong. He studies in a special learning school. Simon now receives a monthly living allowance of HK$2,000+ from the Hong Kong Welfare Fund.

Lin Lin, Ken's 9-year-old son is studying in a boarding school in Beijing. His grannies (his mom's parents) take care of him during weekends and holidays.

Digital Community Chest Limited was formed

Being part of the Digital Family, in early January 2000, I proposed a fund to be raised through the DEC Club members to help Ken's two kids. This proposal was endorsed by Ken's family.

We formed a support team with Raymond Cheung, Ben Sham, Alan CM Lau, Olive Wang and myself at that time. Ken's younger sister Polly Yu and Olive Wang opened a joint-name account in HK Bank to collect money from members who are willing to help and support this.

Hoping to yield higher return than the interest from a saving account, Steve To took the initiative to form an investment fund. As a result, Digital Community Chest Limited (DCCL) was established by the Board Of Committee (BOC). One of the aims of DCCL was to support the education of Ken's two sons in the future. We hoped that Ken's two boys could have normal education like other kids.

The Digital team spirit lives on

Ken's incidence brought out the valuable Digital Family spirit. All of us in some way "grew up" in this Family. Even though we are all apart in our daily lives now, the spirit still lingers on. We still show our care and support. Today it is Ken's misfortune and tomorrow it may be someone else's. As Steve To once said, "One day this DCCL fund may grow to something like the Red Cross or Community Chest, helping not only Ken's family, but a lot more people - perhaps through scholarship for the bright kids." This may be one of the most meaningful things that Digital old boys and gals do. Even though the company no longer exists, the Digital culture and team spirit is still alive, as visible from our vision and action.

Ken lives now at the Heng Ying Care Home:

Bed No. DP2
1st Floor, Heng Ying Care Home
No. 318-328 King's Road
North Point
Hong Kong.