BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
GuiYing Ma, a 62-year-old
Asian woman who was attacked
last year by a man with
a rock, has died after spending
10 weeks in a medically induced
coma, her family announced on
Tuesday, March 1.
Congresswoman Grace
Meng joined Ma’s husband,
Zhanxin Gao, and the family’s
pro bono attorneys at the law
firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind,
Wharton, & Garrison LLP at
their office in Manhattan for the
announcement of Ma’s death.
“I am devastated over the
passing of GuiYing Ma and my
heart aches for her family,” said
Meng, who also called for combating
the rise in anti-Asian
hate and violence. “I will continue
to be here for her husband
and loved ones at this very difficult
time. So many in the Asian
American community continue
to live in fear due to ongoing attacks
against Asian Americans.
We must continue doing all we
can to combat this heinous violence.”
Ma died on Feb. 22 as a result
of “complications of blunt
impact injury of head.” On the
morning of Nov. 26, she was
sweeping the sidewalk next to
her home at the corner of 38th
Avenue and 97th Street in Corona,
when she was assaulted
by a man who was sleeping on
the sidewalk, according to the
NYPD.
The suspect, who was arrested
and indicted in the attack,
had multiple prior arrests,
a long criminal record, and was
known to be a menace in the
community, authorities said.
Ma was taken to Elmhurst
Hospital in critical condition,
where she had stayed for 10
weeks following the assault.
She had undergone surgery
and was treated for a right skull
fracture, facial fractures and internal
bleeding from her brain,
among other injuries, her family
wrote on a GoFundMe page
dedicated to Ma.
Despite being connected to
a ventilator and a feeding tube,
Ma responded to her husband
by moving her eyes and tearing
Prayers for Peace
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Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr.
New York State Senator
District 15
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.4 COM | MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022
up when he would speak to her
at the hospital. In early February,
and just over 10 weeks after
the attack, Ma awoke from her
coma, and was able to raise her
hand in response to Gao even
though she could still not speak.
During a press conference,
Gao spoke about communicating
with his wife in the hospital.
“I counted in Chinese — one,
two, three, four, five … and then
she could also do the same thing
counting with her finger — one,
two, three, four, five — back to
me,” Gao said. “Even though
she could not articulate a word,
she could understand what I
was communicating to her.”
Meng had worked to assist
Ma and her family while she
was hospitalized. In November,
she and several of Ma’s supporters
gathered in front of Elmhurst
Hospital for a silent standin
for Ma.
Ma, who came to New York
four years ago from Liaoning,
China, is the fourth Asian
American in New York City to
die in the last two months as a
result of violence against the
Asian American and Pacific Islander
(AAPI) community. Her
family is urging tougher law
enforcement to keep the community
safe.
Yihung Hsieh, who owns the
Corona property, created a Go-
FundMe page to help cover Ma’s
medical expenses resulting
from the attack. To date, Hsieh
has raised $203,458.
“She will be remembered as
an outgoing, friendly and kind
individual who took care of everyone
and insisted on giving to
others even when she had very
little to give,” Hsieh wrote.
Photo courtesy of GoFundMe
Ma is survived by her husband,
a son and two grandchildren.
Services for Ma will be announced
after her son is able to
arrange travel to New York City,
according to Hsieh.
In a statement to QNS, a
spokesperson for the Queens
District Attorney’s Office said
they’re “reviewing the latest developments
in this tragedy and
will add or upgrade any appropriate
charges supported by the
evidence. In the meanwhile, on
behalf of the district attorney,
we extend our condolences to
the family.”
Asian woman attacked with rock in
Corona dies after 10 months in coma
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