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

A former South Korean flight attendant who lost part of her skull as the result of a fall in the street has impressed people on social media with her battle to cope with the consequences.

Woo Eun-bin, known as Woozakka to her 60,000 YouTube followers, is inspiring many with her courageous journey to overcome a speech disorder following a severe accident. The former South Korean flight attendant, who lost part of her skull due to a fall, has documented her recovery and shared her experiences online.

Woo worked for Korean Air for about 10 years before transitioning to a banking career. She often shared comic sketches and stories from her life as a flight attendant on social media. However, in February, she abruptly stopped updating her YouTube channel.

The horrific results of Woo’s fall in the street have left her struggling with simple words.

On May 4, Woo released a video titled “This is my daily life without the left side of my skull,” where she openly discussed her accident and recovery. The fall, which occurred on January 27 while she was on her way to a job seminar, resulted in a brain hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, and back fractures. She underwent a craniotomy, removing about 40% of the left side of her skull, which is now preserved in cold storage.

“The doctors said I would inevitably continue to have headaches because part of my skull is empty,” Woo shared. She also mentioned wearing a brace for three months after back fracture surgery and dealing with significant emotional challenges. “Every time I looked in the mirror, it was painful. I did not want to feel sad, so I always wore a brightly colored hat to cover my head,” she said.

The former flight attendant worked for South Korea’s national carrier for almost a decade

Since the accident, Woo has struggled with memory and language issues, often forgetting simple words and mixing up names. Doctors explained that the severe damage to her brain's language center caused cognitive and auditory impairments. “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,” she said.

Despite these challenges, Woo remains determined. She showcased her vocabulary learning notes in her video and shared that she has been practicing speech therapy exercises and reading books for primary and secondary students to improve her language skills.

Woo is scheduled to undergo another craniotomy to reimplant the previously removed part of her skull, continuing her journey of resilience and recovery.