HONOLULU (KHON2) — It was a shocking and random act of violence. A young woman doused with acid near one of Hawaii’s busiest shopping centers.
It was just after 9 p.m. on January 23, 2024 when 26-year-old Danying Zhang was walking near Ala Moana Center when out of nowhere, a man threw a chemical liquid, believed to be sulfuric acid, on her face and body.
“It feels like hot water for her at the first and then her clothes start to falling off. Then she realized it’s not hot water,” said Zhang, through an interpreter.
Zhang, a Maryknoll school teacher who teaches Chinese, was walking home at the time of the attack.
“I found out that it was Danying and I was shocked that here, this person that I knew, I took around and she got attacked,” said Vernon Ching, US China People’s Friendship Association Honolulu President.
But the biggest shock came days later when police arrested Sebastian Mahkwan, a man Zhang had never met before.
Then came an even more disturbing twist. Police say Mahkwan had conspired with his former OCCC cellmate, Paul Cameron.
Cameron is awaiting trial for a separate acid attack on his ex-girlfriend. Prosecutors said the second attack was intended to cast doubt on his case.
“The first couple months, she cannot move. She cannot speak. So her skin peeling off and she just feels extremely painful every second,” said Zhang through her interpreter.
Zhang has undergone six surgeries since the attack. The most recent was last month.
She went back to teaching in the classroom at the beginning of the year and she’s proud of herself for where she is now, but her life has changed forever.
“She has a deep anxiety about, you know, what’s the result gonna be after this whole thing, can she return to normal life after this?” said Zhang’s interpreter.
Zhang is now sharing her story thanks to those who supported her during her recovery.
A Go Fund Me account set up by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii raised close to $200,000. The funds helped pay Zhang’s medical bills, rehab and counseling. She was also able to bring her mother from China to Hawaii. Another Go Fund Me account has been set up to help pay her ongoing recovery.
Zhang says she’s focused on healing, but also on justice. She plans to testify at the trial, not to relive the trauma, but to show that she’s still standing.
“I want to say be brave, face the challenges, no matter good or bad in your life. Life continues.”