The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.110)

2019 • 05 12 eature The smiling sunflower LimYoke Sim has been wheelchair-bound for 20 years, yet she has never stopped believing in the power of a smile to fuel her through life’s ordeals. A firm believer in looking on the bright side of life no matter the circumstances, she likens herself to a sunflower striving to grow towards the sun, and holds a motto close to her heart – “Keep smiling”. By Lim Li Tian Translated by Fu Jia Lik Photograph courtesy of Lim Yoke Sim “I contracted a high fever in Primary 1 that left me wheelchair-bound. I was still too young then to understand why I couldn’t jump and run around like my peers. My parents sought recommendations from relatives on various treatment options from Western to traditional Chinese medicine, hoping to cure me of my disability. I even had to give up a year of school to focus on seeking treatment, but it all proved futile. My condition remained the same…” wrote LimYoke Sim in a touching essay recounting her ordeal, which won her the first place in a school- level essay competition when she was in Form 5. Now 27, Yoke Sim is in the prime of her youth. Yet, she has spent 20 years bound to a wheelchair, with no possibility for recovery in sight. She had already undergone 21 operations and endured unimaginable suffering throughout the 20-odd years of her life. Nevertheless, she refuses to be defeated by her disability and remains motivated to carve her own unique path in life. “I have had near brushes with death countless times in the past, but the Grim Reaper