The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.110)

TZU CHI 110 15 Although Yoke Sim managed to deflect her classmates’ taunts with her astute reply, she secretly shed silent tears after the incident. She had unwittingly become the centre of unwanted attention among her schoolmates as she was the only wheelchair-bound student in her school. Going under the knife Yoke Sim had been scheduled for annual follow-up examinations at the hospital to keep tabs on her health. When she was 10, her doctor found that she had developed scoliosis, a condition in which the spine is misaligned or curved. In retrospect, Yoke Sim suspected that it might have been caused by the use of awheelchair that inadequately supported her posture. Yoke Sim was spared from undergoing surgery as she was in her adolescent phase then, but delayed surgery meant that she had to wear a backbrace, which caused considerable discomfort as it trapped heat and irritated her skin. Yoke Sim’s mother could not bear to see her daughter having to go through the pain associated with surgery, and asked the doctor for alternatives. The doctor insisted on proceeding with the surgery, because if Yoke Sim’s condition were to be left untreated, her respiratory functions would be adversely affected. WhenYoke Sim turned 14, she underwent a corrective spine surgery to insert 20 metal screws into her spine. She was expected to be discharged after a week in the hospital ward, but her hospital stay had to be extended due to unforeseen post- surgery complications. Her surgical wound had been infected, compelling doctors to remove the surgical stitches, as well as the metal rod implanted to support her spine. The infection persisted even after the wound had been cleaned, requiring her to spend a total of 5 months in the hospital and undergo 12 surgeries. Yoke Sim’s mother never left her daughter’s side throughout her hospital stay and cared for her meticulously. She would become anxious whenever Yoke Sim developed a fever, as it was a sign of bacterial infection and that prevented her from undergoing surgeries. It was a testing time for Yoke Sim, as she was subjected to incessant blood tests and countless types of antibiotics. Furthermore, Yoke Sim’s blood vessels are too fine to be precisely detected during injections. Hence, every time she was prescribed a new course of antibiotics, she had to bear withmultiple jabs of the needle before the antibiotics could be successfully injected into her bloodstream. In 2018, Lim Yoke Sim participated in a regional-level beauty pageant tailored to individuals with spinal cord injuries, with the unconditional support of her mother. [Photograph courtesy of Lim Yoke Sim] Touching Lives with Unconditional Love