The Electric New PaperHe may have suffered painful and ugly injuries. But Yes DJ Dennis Chew still joked about them yesterday, saying:It'll make me more manlyBy Chong Zheng Ying, 23 May 2007
IT will probably be a while before you hear Yes 93.3 DJ Dennis Chew on the air again.
And if you see him now, you might not recognise him.
He is recuperating in hospital after a bad fall in Pulau Ubin on Sunday.
He had been there on a cycling and photography trip with friends.
He had abrasions on his face, a left arm broken in two places, four chipped teeth and another tooth missing.
Dennis being fed by his motherThe 33-year-old radio and TV personality was all pain and misery when The New Paper visited him at Changi General Hospital yesterday.
He mumbled, through a swollen mouth: 'It hurts to even talk. If I wasn't on painkillers, I probably wouldn't even be able to speak to you now.'
In a three-hour operation on Sunday night, doctors inserted two metal plates and 12 screws in his left arm.
He said: 'My arm was curved like a snake after the accident. I almost fainted when I saw the X-ray.'
Better known as Zhou Chong Qing to
Yes 93.3 listeners, the DJ is normally heard on-air on weekdays from 4.30pm to 8.30pm.
He was also known for his outrageous dressing and hairdos as one of the judges of last year's Channel U singing competition SuperBand.
Despite his pain, he managed to joke about his condition. Referring to the stage character Phantom of the Opera, he said of the injuries on his face: 'I'm now the 'Phantom' of radio, I'll have to wear a mask to work.'
Although he didn't need stitches on his face, he said his doctor felt he may be permanently scarred.
Then the baby-faced Dennis quipped: 'Never mind, it will make me look more manly.'
He had taken a bum boat to Pulau Ubin from Changi Jetty with four friends on Sunday morning.
The avid photographer said they wanted to take pictures of kampung life in the hopes of organising a photo exhibition with Yes 93.3.
They rented bicycles and it was while navigating a steep sloped T-junction on a small dirt track that Dennis fell.
He said: 'I was trying to brake as I was going down the slope, but I ended up flying off my bike instead. After that I just blacked out. I knew there were people around me as I could faintly hear their voices, but I couldn't consciously know what was going on.'
One of his friends, who declined to be named, told The New Paper that they called the police and then wrapped up Dennis' hand as best as they could.
'We got a bumboat and called for an ambulance to wait at Changi Jetty,' he said.
At the moment, it looks like Dennis will take a long time to recover. He can hardly smile or open his mouth as there are raw wounds on his upper lip and at the side of his mouth.
He can take only porridge and liquid supplements.
But on the bright side, he has the support of his friends and family, who have filled his hospital room with soft toys and hampers.
Said Dennis: 'It's at times like these when you realise how much your friends and family love you.'
He said his parents got news of his fall only when his younger sister heard the announcement on Yes 93.3 yesterday morning. He was due to report to work yesterday.
His sister immediately alerted the family and they rushed down to the hospital.
Said Dennis: 'This was the first time my Dad has cried in front of me. I now know that he loves me very much, just that he doesn't often show it.'
His mother, a 60-year-old housewife who wanted to be known only as Madam Lim, said in Mandarin: 'I'm very thankful that most of his injuries are only skin deep.
'It could have been worse. Luckily he didn't hit his head.
'I couldn't stop crying this afternoon as I was feeding him lunch. I just thank God he's alive.'
Ever optimistic, Dennis said he hopes to be back on air in one or two weeks, though his arm will take three to six months to fully heal.
'I don't really need my arm to work. I'm hoping to get my teeth fixed soon so I won't sound so weird on air,' he said, adding with a laugh, 'My station needs me!'
What will be off his itinerary is a trip to Australia's Gold Coast, part of his travel guide duties with Dynasty Travel.
And though Pulau Ubin now holds painful memories for him, he said he'll still continue to visit the island. But he'll probably stay off two-wheelers for now.
'I will go back, but not to cycle. Cycling there is not a very good idea for a clumsy person like me.'
