J T | Student Medic: “When I put on my first aider vest, people are looking at me as a source of light.”
JT is an 18-year-old secondary school student and a medic in his school’s rugby team. Despite his parents’ opposition, he volunteers at the frontline to support resistance against police brutality and the incompetent government.
“In their darkest hour, they see my vest and think that their savior is here. At some point we will win this war, so we shouldn’t lose hope. “Dare to reach your hands into darkness, to pull another to light.” — this is a quote I uphold all the time.”
Journalist: Tea Leaf
Photographer: Jenna
When the protests started I was in the middle of my final exams. I saw so much violence on the news and on Instagram, and I wanted to help the city I love in a non-violent way. I’m a form six student, an ordinary 18-year-old who is trained in first aid. I’ve been a school rugby team medic for a few years now. So I realized, “Wait! I’m trained as a first aider! Why not go and help out?”. I started to gather equipment and headed out to the protests.
I remember going to a secondary school student gathering on 22 August, where I was working with a first aid team. There were first aiders who were 14 or 15 years old, even younger than me, coming out to help. They patrolled the area with me, tending to other people’s needs. Every time I saw a kid in a black shirt on the field, I thought, “ why do kids need to do this? If the government is sensible, we wouldn’t have to do this. But Carrie Lam is insensible in her words and actions, which is why we come out to stand up for the Hong Kong we like and love. If Carrie Lam would have responded to all of our demands in the first place, we wouldn’t have to do all this.
I criticize the Hong Kong Police Force for hitting first aiders and press on the field - that’s just depraved of humanity. They prevent protesters from seeking medical treatment from someone they trust and they hinder the press from telling people the truth. This is totally evidence of a dictatorship. I’m probably going to get arrested for saying this, but it’s the truth. I’m not afraid to say this because that’s what I believe. The police can arrest me and throw me off the boat like the others. Feel free to, honestly, I don’t mind. The police can do anything they desire without consequence. People can get arrested for what? Drinking bubble tea on the street? Virtually anything.
A Politically Divided Family
I’m in a very interesting situation at home. Both my parents are pro-Beijing. They don’t really support me going to the frontlines so I have to sneak out with my gear. One night, they realised that I had gone out when they saw my gear, along with an additional helmet, in a different place from where I put them before. They were furious, but lowered their defenses a little bit when I explained that I was a first aider and not a protestor, and they let me go out sometimes.
I let my parents know where I go, so they know what to do when they can’t get in touch with me. My parents aren’t really strict, but the habit of reporting to our unit officers from my time volunteering in the Red Cross has stuck with me - it’s not as bad as it sounds, but takes a lot of getting used to. However, I once went out when my parents were overseas and I think they somehow saw me on the news. They don’t really let me out now. I had my mask on then, but they still recognized my vest.
I’ve had a couple of arguments with my parents about politics. They keep telling me to get off Instagram, Stand News and Apple Daily, and then it builds to a point where I shout, “Just stop! Stop arguing about this! Argh!!” And we actually do that. We have a political ban at home now, and are not allowed to speak about politics at dinner time. However, my parents’ views are slowly shifting. There was a very touching moment when people gave way to an ambulance even before medics had to blow their whistles to clear the way. My parents thought protesters were blocking the ambulance, but when I showed them a picture of that, they just went silent, for quite a while. This is the best way to silence a pro-government supporter. I think the incident where a man bit off another person’s ear* also helped change their mind.
An Aspiring Paramedic
I’ve dreamt of becoming a paramedic since I was twelve. That year, someone tripped me in gym class and I hit my head on some metal when I fell, leaving me with a wound that required four stitches. It was my first time riding in an ambulance to the emergency room. I had this big bruise on my head and I was bleeding out. I thought I was going to die. And then at some point … two persons, those were the paramedics who helped me and inspired me. I already had a passion for first aid, and was still deciding if I should be a firefighter or a paramedic then. After this incident, I was pretty sure I wanted to be a paramedic —to help other people in their worst times of need.
As a first aider, I personally believe that there are neither enemies nor friends in life-saving, because it’s a life lying in front of you. In such a situation, there shouldn’t be any discrimination in terms of political preference, or race, etc. I remember being really inspired by an online post where the medics’ actions demonstrated this by helping a pro-government individual who was being attacked by pro-democracy supporters.
I once helped an injured pro-government supporter when I wasn’t geared up because I thought it was my duty. She was initially going to refuse my care because I was wearing a black shirt (often worn by protestors) but she reconsidered due to the extent of her injuries. She had an underlying health problem and then she fainted a little bit. Her situation was not too bad. As I was handing her over to the ambulance crew, she told me to stay safe and said she was sorry. I think she said something mean to me before receiving my care, but I had already forgotten about it.
Although medics look strong on the field, we still fall into tears; we cry in the shower. I especially feel for the medic who tried to save Alex Chow**. I’ve seen a suicide case before and I’m still suffering from the PTSD afterwards. I absolutely feel those emotions, because…it’s his blood on your hands, and you have a feeling that you have failed him. You told him, “Hang in there! I’ve got you! You’re going to be okay.” Yet, he died. All you can say is “I’m sorry”, but sorry for what? He’s already dead.
I understand that I might get hit by a stray bullet one day and die, but this is the life I chose. I won’t regret it. It’s just like being a reporter, or a firefighter. I know that bad things might happen to me, but no one forced me to take this path. We could have chosen to stay at home and spend time with our families, but we sacrifice our free time and possibly even our lives to support what we think is right. We fully understand the risks. Most of us have already written our wills that we keep in our pockets. We also have “do not resuscitate” written on our vests, helmets and gear. It’s a very emotional thing. But remember how far we’ve come. Even if we die, we were trying to save lives, so it’s totally worth it. It’s easy for me to say. It’s a medic kind of thing; there’s a mutual understanding amongst us. I don’t regret a single choice I’ve made so far for this movement. This is why people look up to first aiders.
This is my protective gear. The helmet is taped with black duct tape to avoid confusion after the 21 July attack at Yuen Long station, where gangsters were seen wearing white helmets. My “do not resuscitate” message is written on both the filters and the mask. The goggles are also attached to the helmet by duct tape to make it easy to carry.
Never Lose Hope
I just want to point out that protesters should never lose hope. I’m a devoted Christian myself. I go to church and a Christian school. God said, “Love your enemy as yourself” and “Love your neighbours.” I think loving your neighbour is probably the best idea in the world, although I think a good neighbourly relationship with Mainland China is going to take forever to establish, especially since they support the Hong Kong police. The police have done too many terrible things to us over the years, especially in these past five months. It’s just not right at all.
It is in this movement that I feel like an actual Hong Konger. Not Chinese, but an actual Hong Konger. That’s the genuine lion rock spirit to me. When something like this happens, a lot of us set aside our original responsibilities and come out to help, to save the place we love. That’s the lion rock spirit that everyone looks up to.
I hope people will find hope through my story as a medic. The way I see it, people view me as a source of light when I put on my first aider vest. In their darkest hour, they see my vest and think that their savior is here, as if there is a light flashing on us. There is one phrase that I really like in the English version of Glory to Hong Kong***: “Through the mist a solitary trumpet flares.” At some point we will win this war, so we shouldn’t lose hope. “Dare to reach your hands into darkness, to pull another to light.”—this is a quote I uphold all the time. We should stay enheartened.
“I am J T, I am a HKer.”
- February 2022
- December 2021
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- December 2020
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- December 2019
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- June 2019
* District Councillor Andrew Chiu was attacked in Cityplaza, Tai Koo Shing on 3 Nov 2019. His ear was bitten off by a Mandarin-speaking, knife-wielding attacker. Doctors could not reattach the ear.
** Alex Chow was a 22-year-old student in HKUST who died on 8 Nov 2019, 5 days after falling from the third floor to the second floor of the garage in Sheung Tak Estate, Tseung Kwan O.
*** Glory to Hong Kong is a song initially composed by a local musician to encourage the Hong Kong protestors, which was later widely adopted as the movement’s unofficial anthem.