HER face is chubby. And with her buzz cut instead of her trademark long tresses, she looks like an army recruit.
But to her fans in Singapore, Selina Jen, one-third of popular Taiwanese girl group S.H.E, is still beautiful – even more so after the hellish last three months she has gone through.
Graphic web designer Darren Ang, 24, a committee member of the local S.H.E fan club S.H.E Ambience, told The New Paper yesterday: “She’s still very beautiful; not just physically but also because of her strength, courage and positive attitude in dealing with her injuries.”
Another supporter, Miss Gerlynn Toh, 25, a student, said: “Her newlook doesn’t bother me, although I think it bothers Selina herself. She’s recovering from her injuries and so it’ll take time before she regains her previous look.”
The 29-year-old singer and pop darling had spent the last three months in Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei fighting for her life after a horrific accident last October.
She was filming an explosion scene in China for the drama I Have A Date With Spring when explosives detonated prematurely.
She suffered third-degree burns on 54 per cent of her body like her hands, arms, thighs and back. Another actor,Ham Yu, was also hurt.
After three skin grafts, Jen was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, where she held an emotional eight-minute press conference to thank the medical staff, her family, friends and fans.
Flanked by fellow S.H.E groupmates Ella Chen and Hebe Tien and clad in a grey sweat suit, pink vest and grey gloves, her face was visibly chubby from the 5kg that she put on during recovery. The back of her neck showed scars of the burns and her movements were also stiff. Amid popping flashlights, she fought hard to hold back tears and said: “I’m sorry to have caused so much worry. I can finally go home today.”
Although she appears to be on the road to full recovery, the Taiwanese media reported that Jen’s sweat glands are damaged and she is not able to feel temperature
or perspire. Her skin will also hurt and itch.
Doctors The New Paper spoke to said that the inability to sweat or anhidrosis is rare. It is usually genetic, or caused by injuries.
Dr Wong Su Ni, from Dr SN Wong Skin, Hair, Nails & Laser Specialist Clinic at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, who has been treating patients with skin conditions for 17 years, said: “For those who have little or no sweat glands, they are at risk of getting over heated.
“Because they can’t perspire, they can get a heat stroke. They can still exercise but they have to use a wet towel to cool themselves very frequently.”
But not all is lost for a person who suffers from this non-life threatening condition. Life can go onas usual.
Dermatologist Patricia Yuen, 43, from Pacific Healthcare Specialist Centre, and who has 14 years of dermalogical experience, is confident the pop star will still be able to performon stage in future. She said: “The sweat glands on the other body parts will compensate for those that have been damaged.
“For instance, if the injury is on the back, she would probably sweat more on her chest or other areas that have not been affected.”
Doctors at the hospital whotreated Selina agree that she is likely to be able to return to showbiz. According to Taiwan news website UDN.com, Jen’s father had said at the press conference: “In the last 89 days, what Selina said the most often was, ‘Dad, it’s very painful.’
“She was in a half-conscious state for the first 40 days. When she was awake, she wanted morphine (to ease the pain). It was like hell on earth.
“Before she went on her third skin graft, she was at risk of infection and shock, which would slowly lead to death. It was only when she was able to place her foot by the side of the bed close to the 50th day that I finally saw hope.”
Mr Jen added that the singer does not need to undergo skin grafting anymore, but would require one to two years of rehabilitation.
One of her doctors at the hospital told the media that she would need to return to the hospital for follow-up checks only once a week.
She would need to wear only tight-fitting clothes over her arms and legs for at least another half a year more, added the doctor.
Mr Jen said at a Taiwanese TV show recently that his daughter would still be able to have children. Jen’s fiance, lawyer Chang Cheng-chong, has also told the media that the wedding will go ahead as planned on April 1.
In the meantime, marketing executive Jodi Chan, 24, is just thankful the singer is alive. A fellow fan, Mr Ang, said that although he hopes
Jen can return to the stage soon, he and rest of the members in the fan club will be patient and wait until she has fully recovered from the physical and emotional wounds.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
More stories and photos:
