The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.112)

TZU CHI 112 45 1994 and has since actively participated in home visits and volunteered for medical missions. Her experience volunteering at hospitals removed her from her comfort zone and opened her eyes to the plight of the suffering and patients in their late stages of life. The cases of personal distress she had encountered include an underage mother who gave birth to a premature babywith birth defects, leaving her and her parents high and dry; and an 18-year- old youth who became bedridden after severely fracturing his leg in a road accident. As Cai-yun was due to return to Taipei, she enlisted her older sister’s help to care for the young man – who had an alcoholic for a father – on her behalf, as both of them reside in Hualien. “My sister offered him some herbal soup, which he accepted with tears of gratitude and joy. A seemingly simple gesture meant so much to him,” she recalled. The trauma of growing up loveless Cai-yun first started providing care to solitary seniors and leading novice volunteers on home visits two decades ago. Her involvement in elderly care enabled her to gain insightful glimpses into the life experiences of the seniors she crossed paths with. “Every individual is like a book waiting to be read, no matter the contents. Each ‘book’ is one of a kind, regardless of whether it receives the validation it deserves for its uniqueness,” quipped Cai-yun. Another senior placed under Cai-yun’s care was Grandpa Cao. When he was hospitalized once, none of his family members were willing to take up the responsibility of nursing him. Cai-yun visited him at the hospital with fellow volunteers and chanced upon his son, who recounted a childhood scarred by domestic violence inflicted by his father on his mother and siblings. Having suffered abuse at the hands of their father, the siblings grew to resent him, driving a deep wedge between father and children. She also learnt that Grandpa Cao himself was deprived of his family’s love growing up; Grandpa Wu, who is now 98, insisted on making his way down the steep flight of stairs to send Cai-yun off. The latter has forged a close bond with Grandpa Wu over the course of her visits.