The world of Tzu Chi February 2020 (Vol.119)

Ling Sien massages Joon Wai’s limbs daily to prevent muscle stiffness and atrophy, besides patting his back to facilitate the expulsion of phlegm accumulated in the respiratory tract. “I have to repeat these at least twice a day, or ideally, three to four times a day. I cannot afford to slack off, otherwise he will suffer,” Ling Sien confided. Haunted by guilt Ling Sien has long been accustomed to the rigours of caring for Joon Wai since more than a decade ago, but her heart still aches every time she recalls the accident that led to his current predicament. When Joon Wai was two, he locked himself in the bathroom out of mischief one day. The anxious Ling Sien frantically forced open the door without realizing that Joon Wai was standing behind the door, causing him to slip and fall from the impact. “Joon Wai kept on crying, but we failed to detect any injuries on him. Half an hour later, we realized something was amiss as he turned limp and became feverish. We rushed him to the hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU,” recounted Joon Wai’s father, Sam Kin Man. Joon Wai never stood up again since that accidental fall. The doctor declared him a lost cause with no chance of recovery. His family searched high and lowfor a cure, trying everything from both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine to traditional remedial massages and even sought divine intervention. However, all efforts were in vain. “When JoonWai was little, he would run to me when I returned home from work to help me carry my briefcase. If it was too heavy, he would drag it along the floor. He was adorable,” Kim Man reminisced fondly as he basked in nostalgic memories of Joon Wai’s childhood. Now, the bedridden Joon Wai has become a mere shadow of his younger, healthier self. Joon Wai’s family was heartbroken over the incident and blamed Ling Sien for her negligence, resulting in him becoming permanently disabled. However, the family gradually let go of their resentment after witnessing the painstaking attention with which Ling Sien cared for her son. The additional expenses incurred by Joon Wai’s medical needs compounded the family’s financial burden. His attending doctor learnt of the family’s plight and referred his case to Tzu Chi for consideration. Since 2014, volunteers have been extending assistance to the family by providing a subsidy on medical supplies and equipment. Over the years, Ling Sien has developed a deep trust towards the volunteers. Her mother- in-law would welcome the volunteers with open arms and update the volunteers on recent happenings in the family. Joon Wai was initially cold towards the volunteers as he was seldom exposed to strangers, but eventually warmed up to them and started looking forward to their monthly visits. The volunteers began noticing that JoonWai would repeat the same questions to them on every visit and deduced that Joon Wai’s Yap Ling Sien cares for her son SamJoonWai meticulously, hoping to improve his quality of life. ouching Life Story 2020 • 02 44