Chinese influencer ‘reborn’ from 35-storey fall returns to social media

A Chinese influencer has sparked heated online discussions after posting about her remarkable recovery from a fall from the 35th floor nearly a year ago.

On October 12, the influencer, who uses the handle @wananan, returned to her account after an almost 17-month hiatus, saying she “had been reborn through adversity”.

The 27-year-old woman from Hunan province in central China said she had almost fully recovered from the fall, which happened more than a year ago.

It was previously reported that she accidentally fell in June last year and was immediately rushed to the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University.

She suffered multiple bone fractures, an intracranial haemorrhage, injuries to her cervical spine and organs, and the loss of her lower right leg. Her life was saved after 14 hours of emergency surgery.

She spent 50 days in the intensive care unit (ICU). Her doctor, Xing Wei, said the treatment was successful beyond expectations. Apart from the amputation of her lower leg, her other organ functions have basically recovered, Xing said.

In addition to the efforts of the medical team that made her survival possible, @wananan was also said to have been lucky: she hit a tree and then some bushes, which cushioned her fall and helped prevent a fatal outcome.

The influencer previously had around 100,000 followers, who admired her looks and her singing voice in cover songs.

She also said she was lucky not to have suffered serious injuries to her face or hands.

Her comeback video had received 1.7 million likes and 100,000 comments at the time of writing. Her follower count on the platform had also risen to 250,000.

She does rehabilitation exercises every day and plans to be fitted with a prosthetic limb soon.

Speaking about her future, @wananan was optimistic: “I can still walk to the places I want to go, and if I can’t walk, I’ll just call a taxi.”

She said her life no longer belonged only to her, but also to the many people who had helped her. She would live it beautifully as a way of thanking them.

She recalled having difficult days after the fall, especially while suffering from severe pain “everywhere” in her body as her injuries healed.

But the experience helped her realise that “suffering is not meant to destroy me, but to forge me. Life is not about being glamorous, but about the courage to face the broken pieces and piece them back together.”

She also encouraged her audience to focus on what they gain rather than what they lose.

“What is lost will not be lost again,” she concluded.

“It is a wonder that she survived after falling from the 35th floor,” one person said.

“You are very lucky. Wishing you peace and happiness in the future,” another commented under her post.

The hospital’s official account also commented, saying it was delighted to see her “rebirth” and thanking her for “sharing the power of life.”