It’s really hard to know where to begin with all of this. The expat blogosphere is alight with the story of the tragic death of Michael White, son of Stephanie White, a well known persona in Daejeon, although I’m pretty sure she never actually lived here.
Like many others I know Stephanie through expatskorea, a Yahoo! mailing list centered here in Daejeon. She has been active over the past few years, lending help to many and organizing bookswaps on her regular trips into the city. Stephanie, who never hesitated to give what assistance she could to others is now in need of some assistance of her own to get to the bottom of what happened to her son.
Background
If you haven’t heard the story yet, this is her recount of events:
Last Saturday, May 10th Mike, Corina, Maggie & I went to [name removed for legal reasons] Sauna to relax. At 11:45 staff notified Corina & I that Mike needed to go to the hospital. I called his cell phone at 11:47 thinking he just needed stitches or something… it wouldn’t be the first time
When he didn’t answer, we threw on our clothes and rushed out to the parking lot to discover that Mike was already in the ambulance.
There are ALOT of unanswered questions. The ambulance guy (1 of 2) was doing a poor job of chest compressions. Apparently, the Sauna called Mike in as DOA to the police, ambulance and hospital & the ambulance was sent as transport only (so it was unequipped for lifesaving measures).
After they arrived (LATE 11:40-11:45, they were called in at 11:02!!) they started CPR. This indicated that Mike was absolutely NOT DOA; things were critical at this point, yet still revivable (and functional as Mike) had the ER been prepared & acted quickly to drain his lungs.
The really heart wrenching part for me, is that the staff didn’t get me or Corina. We are both first responder trained & we could have saved his life.
The autopsy showed that he suffered damage to his throat, lungs & back of his mouth from extreme coughing & retching. Even if no one was in the room the sounds should have been echoing to alert staff/patrons that someone was in distress.
The doctor who did the autopsy said there was a strong time frame when Mike could have been revived if folks had 1) responded to his distress 2) the staff didn’t presume to know Mike’s medical condition without training 3) the ambulance had come earlier 4) THE STAFF HAD THOUGHT TO NOTIFY MIKE’S MOTHER!!!! 5) ER had been properly prepared or Mike taken to an ER that was capable.
The manager of the Sauna keeps calling & wanting details about Mike’s condition & autopsy. He knows he will be “shown out†and he’s scrambling to cover the truth.
 What You Can Do
Right now, if you have time and means, try to get to one of the vigils to lend moral support to the situation. This family needs answers, and without pressure they’re not likely to come. There are two vigils planned for this weekend: Friday at the American Embassy in Seoul, and Sunday at the Sauna where Mike died. Details are on the Facebook Group about the incident.
There is also a bank account being set up to take donations to help with the associated costs including retaining a lawyer.
Here’s the coverage on other blogs:
Final Cut (our own Mike McStay): A Mother is Looking for Answers about her Son
ZenKimchi: Help a Mother in a Tragic Situation
Roboseyo: Mike White: Everybody Warm up your Prayer Engines
Players at the Keys: Michael White, May 3, 2008
Marmot’s Hole: A Tragic Death in Daegu
Brian in Jeollanamdo: The Suspicious Death of 14-Year-Old Mike White
Dave’s ESL Cafe: A vigil to be held in the name of Mike White…
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I’m humbled by the outreach I’ve seen in reaction to Mike’s death. I dont know how I could ever thank everyone enough for helping me spreas the word about this~trying to raise awareness and put pressure on the police via the media. Today, I was interviewed by a Korean Language daily and tomorrow a TV station wants to set up an interview. With increased media exposure, Mike has a chance for justice. All this could not have been possible without the help of the bloggers out there who spread the word & got the attention needed to bring in the crowds at the two vigils so far. The fight for justice has just begun. I can only say thank you from the shards of my shattered heart. ~ Mike’s Mom (stephannie)
To see latest information, please see:
http://www.mightiemike.com
To listen to the podcast interview with Stephannie White, or to read the transcript in English or Korean (or to forward to Korean translation Korean friends, family or media outlets), please see:
http://www.mikewhitesmom.blogspot.com