The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.110)

TZU CHI 110 39 By Chong Shea Ting Translated by Shila Gephel Photograph by Chua Teck Ching ouching Life Story Living with domestic violence and constant fear used to be a part of Gunasunderi’s life till the day Tzu Chi knocked on her door. She learnt to harness her strength to create positive causes and to let go of resentment as she opened her heart to bless others with love and joy. I t was a familiar sight in Gunasunderi a/p Vellasamy’s household. Her spunky little daughter fiddling with her milk bottle and sucking hungrily. Occasionally, she choked on the milk, sending Gunasunderi to quickly clean her cleft-lipped toddler, tenderly feeding the little child she so loved. The bumpy road of life Thirty-six years is not exactly a long time. For Gunasunderi, it meant years of hardship in life, andabuse at thehands of her unemployed, alcoholic husband and the gut-wrenching pain of watching her helpless children suffer at the hands of their drunken father. In 2013, Gunasunderi’s daughter, Lashmikah a/p Tineskumar was born with Triple X syndrome, a medical condition that afflicts 1 in every 1,000 female births. Doctors predicted that such a baby Breaking Free from the Mind’s Imprisonment