The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.110)

2019 • 05 16 Even at a tender age, Yoke Sim had to tolerate endless suffering and pain throughout the course of her treatment. She once contemplated taking her own life and wondered if euthanasia would be a painless way out. Her mother would ease her distress by instilling in her a message of encouragement: “Have faith in yourself and never give up.” Yoke Sim’s mother was constantly on unpaid leave in order to provide Yoke Sim with round-the-clock care. Whenever Yoke Sim was due for an operation, she would accompany her to assuage her fears and wait patiently outside the operating theatre, hoping to comfort Yoke Sim by being there for her once she regained consciousness. Every time Yoke Sim is overwhelmed by pain, her mother would encourage her to keep smiling to distract her from the agony. Yoke Sim attests to the effectiveness of this seemingly simple trick; even her doctor endorsed it as a source of positive relief. Whenever Yoke Sim finds herself going through trying times, she would call to mind her mother’s reminder to keep smiling. Moving on in life Yoke Sim once topped the class in a Form 5 examination to the delight of her father, who rewarded her with an outing and a soft toy. However, her joy was short-lived as her father suddenly collapsed from a brain haemorrhage and was diagnosed with a stroke the next day. The doctor warned, “The chances of surviving surgery are fairly low, but denying him surgery would cause him to lapse into a vegetative state.” “My mother was in a dilemma. She was caught ina tight spotwithherdaughterwheelchair- bound and her husband suffering a stroke. She was at a complete loss. But my father seemed to have resolved the dilemma on our behalf; he passed away that very night,” said Yoke Sim of her mother’s response to the unexpected calamity. Yoke Sim grieved her father’s demise but had to toughen herself up as she was largely left to her own devices when her mother was busy at work. She spent most of her time either sitting or lying down as it was tedious for her to move around, and developed bed sores as a result. She had to make frequent trips to the hospital to clean her wounds but her bed sores continued to fester to the extent of exposing the bone, causing her wound to be infected. This led to a persistent fever, and a skin grafting procedurewas necessary to mend the deep wound. Due to her condition and the constant Lim Yoke Sim has fond memories of participating in the Garfield Run in 2015, an experience she thoroughly enjoyed. [Photograph courtesy of Lim Yoke Sim] eature