SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — It is a devastating diagnosis for a Bay Area mother severely injured by a falling tree limb.
It was one week ago when that limb came crashing down at Washington Square Park in San Francisco.
On Friday night, that mother of two is recovering at San Francisco General Hospital.
Cui Ying Zhou is out of the intensive care unit. Her husband told KRON4 that doctors said she will never walk again. Zhau is making some progress after a week in the intensive care unit.
Her husband, Jiang Cong Tan, said she is talking and recognizes her loved ones.
But as you can imagine, this horrific accident is weighing on her.
“She cries when I go to see her,” Tan said. “She cries a lot. And I tell her not to worry. We’re going to ask for people’s help, and hopefully, people can help us.”
Zhau was at Washington Square Park with her two daughters last Friday when a heavy pine tree branch snapped and landed on her head.
Her husband said doctors told him her lower spine is broken, and her skull is cracked.
Their two young daughters, just 5 and 9 years old, are having a tough time dealing with this accident.
“My daughter, she’s very sad. She cannot eat. She cannot like eat and sometimes thinks about mommy,” Tan said. “And they always ask when is our mommy coming home.”
Zhau’s husband said she’s the rock of the family.
“She takes care of the kids and I cannot. I just go to work,” Tan said. “So, she pretty much does everything at home and takes care of the kids. So, without her, I don’t know what to do actually.”
He’s still holding out hope for a full recovery.
“Hopefully, she can walk. The doctor says she’s not going to walk,” Tan said. “Maybe have her go to rehab so she can walk in the future. That’s what I want. For her to walk again.”
Tan said doctors don’t know when his wife will leave the hospital. There is still a long recovery ahead.
He said he’s taking some time off work to take care of his family during this trying time and figure out how they are going to move forward.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Zhau.