If you’ve seen#stopasianhate trending on social media recently, you’ve likely noticed the recent upsurge in attacks against Asian people in the US.
In the latest incident that sparked a storm on the Internet, an elderly Asian lady, known as Xie, fought off a 39-year-old Caucasian man who attacked her in broad daylight as she was leaning against a light pole while waiting to cross the street in San Francisco.
The old woman received immense support from netizens online who applauded her for fighting back as her attacker was documented being carried off in a stretcher with blood dripping from his mouth in a video of the incident that went viral online.
Despite her courage, Xie did not walk away from the attack without battle scars. She suffered a swollen ankle, two bruised eyes, and one of them was profusely bleeding. Aside from the physical injuries, the old woman has also developed a fear of going out on the street again.
“She has been severely affected mentally, physically, and emotionally,” said her grandson on a GoFundMe page that was started to help Xie recover from her trauma. “The traumatic event has left her with PTSD. Although she has health insurance that covers the basics, there are still many medical expenses that cannot be covered on her own.”
He revealed that Xie is a cancer survivor that has had diabetes for over 10 years now and the funds raised by the page would directly be used to cover her medical expenses, therapy, and bills.
Despite only being created three days ago, Xie’s GoFundMe page has gained overwhelming support, raising $852,882 (RM3.5 million) at the time of writing.
“We want to thank everyone that is donating and that has shown my family massive support through this very traumatic event. My heart is with all the other elderly Asians that have also been seriously injured or killed in this wave of attacks towards the Asian community.”
Previously, a video that went viral on social media documented the aftermath of the altercation between the Caucasian male and the elderly Asian woman. The man could be seen on a stretcher while the woman clutched an ice pack to her swollen face while saying in Cantonese, “This man hit me! I was just here and he just punched me!”
Discrimination of any form should never be tolerated. Let’s stand in solidarity with our Asian American friends and #stopasianhate!
Also read: Elderly Asian Aunty Gets Attacked By Man In San Francisco But She Puts Him In A Stretcher
