Manhunt finalist injured in stunt, undergoes 10-hour surgery
Manhunt finalist injures neck in stunt gone wrong. Manhunt organiser says: 'I hope he'll be at the finals'
Even as he lay injured and unable to lift his head, Mr Kenneth Ting still showed a great sense of responsibility.
The Manhunt Singapore 2015 (Senior Category) finalist had just suffered a severe neck injury in a stunt gone wrong, but his priority was clear.
He told his wife, Mrs Sharlene Ting, to call Manhunt Singapore organiser Samuel Seow to let him know that he would not be able to make it to a Manhunt event this Saturday.
Relating this to The New Paper yesterday, Mr Seow said: "When I got the call from Kenneth's wife, I was stunned.
"And the first thing I thought of was, Kenneth is such a responsible man.
"I mean, who would think about such a thing at a moment like that? At that point, he couldn't lift his neck."
Mr Ting, a 34-year-old cosplayer, among other things, was attending a course on how to execute stunts on Tuesday evening when things went awry.
DANGEROUS STUNT
Mr Seow said he was told that Mr Ting had attempted a dangerous stunt from height and ended up falling on his neck.
Mr Ting, a jack-of-all-trades who is a personal trainer, model, stilt-walker, freelance talent and the co-owner of an online health supplement business, was taken to hospital after his coach called the paramedics.
He underwent surgery for 10 hours yesterday to insert metal plates into his neck to help him regain its use.
When contacted last night, Mrs Ting said her husband was awake after the operation and "responding well".
She said she was very upset over what had happened to him and was not ready to talk about the incident.
The Manhunt Singapore 2015 finals will be held on Dec 5 at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore. It features 20 contestants in the junior category (below 30 years old) and 10 in the senior category,
Said Mr Seow: "I am hopeful that he will be there at the finals. I look forward to having him back with us.
"Kenneth is an extremely pleasant person. He is cooperative, punctual and always has a smile on his face.
"When the other contestants found out about Kenneth, they were shocked. They are all praying for him."
Mr Ting stood out among the other Manhunt contestants because he was the only one with red hair.
His personality is even more colourful as an avid cosplayer who pushes the boundaries.
For example, he has cosplayed as Isshiki Satoshi, a Japanese manga character who is known for his cooking skills, cunning tactics, and for wearing only an apron sometimes.
Mr Ting added a Singaporean element to his cosplay version by turning Satoshi into a satay-touting hunk.
In one of his pictures online, Mr Ting is clad only in an apron and holds a plate of satay.
The caption says: "Gastronomic satay specially prepared by Isshiki Satoshi for #SG50! Inspired by the Satay Club mobile game (one of five SG50 mobile games available for free download)".
Mr Ting, who claims to be a geek at heart, is into comic books and video games.
He has won an Asian championship for the popular video game Counter-Strike, beating competitors from countries such as Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia.
Often invited to gaming and cosplay conventions in Indonesia and Malaysia, Mr Ting most recently cosplayed as Spider-Man.
When the other contestants found out about Kenneth, they were shocked. They are all praying for him.
- Manhunt Singapore organiser Samuel Seow
Recovery depends on spinal cord damage
People can die from neck injuries, says Dr James Tan, a specialist neurosurgeon consultant at Neurosurgery International at Gleneagles Hospital.
When someone hits his neck in a severe fall, it can lead to fractures and dislocations in the spine.
Dr Tan told TNP yesterday: "The spinal cord is very delicate and can be easily damaged by the fractured spine.
"The spinal cord is vulnerable to bone fragments from fractures, blood clots due to damaged blood vessels or even bone that is not fractured but shifted out of its normal place (subluxation).
"The upper cervical spinal cord is responsible for our breathing so if that part is damaged, the patient cannot breathe and will die as a result of the injury. Neck injuries are very dangerous."
It is possible to recover from neck injuries, depending on how severely damaged the spinal cord is.
The factors that will affect recovery time are the time between injury and surgery (the time it took to decompress the spinal cord), the age of the patient and whether he has other existing injuries or medical problems.
For neck injuries, it is important to immediately stabilise the spine - or stop it from moving - at the scene of the accident.
If the spinal cord is compressed, surgery may be needed to remove the compressing element, whether it is bone, disc or blood clots.
The sooner this is done, the better the chances of recovery.
So what should people do in the event of a neck injury?
Said Dr Tan: "In an accident, if the patient is unconscious, assume the neck is injured. Do not move the patient and wait for paramedics.
"If he or she is awake and can move the neck without pain, the chances of spine injury is minimal and he or she can be moved."
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