Michael White, May 3, 2008
Michael White was a 14 year old young man, the son of Stephannie, one of my coworkers. Saturday night, the weekend of Buddha's birthday, at a jimjilbang in Gyeongsan he choked to death in the shallow cold pool. The autopsy found that the cause of death was drowning, with signs that he had been choking and retching. A possible heart condition was ruled out as a possible cause.
I saw Michael that very day, him riding around on the scooter his mother had bought for him, a friend's young daughter on the back. They were laughing. Mike honked at me as he sped past and waved. I laughed. It felt good to see these kids having fun, being carefree. It's a cliche, isn't it, to say that I had no clue that'd be the last time I saw him. My mind still can't wrap around this idea.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14329648313
I'm posting the link to this community. There are more details in to his death found in the comments and I hope Stephannie finds the answers she's seeking because horribly, painfully, this sounds more and more like something that could have been prevented. I have cried and held back tears ever since receiving the news. Why would anyone have allowed this to happen?
Comments
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