TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Tiananmen Square student leader and pro-democracy activist Wu'er Kaixi (吾爾開希), 56, is recovering from a fall down a set of stairs that left him in a coma.

Wu’er Kaixi noted in a Facebook post on Sunday (Feb. 18) his month-long absence from the public, saying a fall had led to intracranial hemorrhage, leaving him unconscious in a local ICU unit with a Glasgow Coma Index of 3. His recovery has been stable, though he will still need time for rehabilitation, per Liberty Times.

He apologized to organizations that had invited him to speak or join activities. "Due to the accident, I have stayed in the hospital for the past month and been in the intensive care unit and the general ward. Now I am being discharged from the hospital and will be cared for by relatives at home,” the post read.

He said his recovery surprised his doctors. "Thanks to my relatives and friends for their continued support and help. It was your voices that woke me up from my coma, and it was also my desire to build a better future with you that made me recover so quickly,” said Wu’er Kaixi.

“I suffered a serious injury and cannot fully recover in a short period. There is still a long road of recovery ahead of me, but I will continue to work hard and hope to resume my daily life as soon as possible," he said. 

The Health Promotion Administration took the opportunity to educate the public about the dangers of falling. The first tip is to remain calm and check for injuries before calling for help.

Secondly, if the injured area swells or has severe pain, a fracture may have occurred and one should wait for rescue. Thirdly, when there is no one nearby to provide help, one should not try to stand up as it is best to slide on the ground to the nearest telephone.

If an elderly person has fallen, one should remain calm and not rush to pull them up, which can potentially aggravate the injury.