The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

2020 • 04 40 Tzu Chi Kedah started flourishing in its new, spacious premises. Poh Luan eventually left the rat race and opted to volunteer with Tzu Chi full-time, dedicating herself assiduously to home visits and extending care to the underprivileged, as well as participating in charity bazaars, organizing events and handling administrative tasks. In the early days, Tzu Chi’s presence in Kedah was limited to the capacity of a liaison office, yet it operated on a scale comparable to a full-fledged chapter of the organization. Poh Luan took the reins and steadily led the staff and volunteers in laying the foundations of Tzu Chi’s core missions in the northern state. In 2001, the Lows repurposed two shophouses in the township of Jitra into a Jing-Si Books & Café outlet and a dialysis centre respectively to facilitate the growth of Tzu Chi’s Missions of Humanistic Culture and Medicine. When the medical arm of Tzu Chi Kedah was in its initial stage, Poh Luan would fetch the staff on weekly trips to the Tzu Chi Dialysis Centre in Penang to gain practical experience and learn from the staff there. Furthermore, she encouraged them to participate in volunteer development courses to reinforce their understanding of Tzu Chi’s concept of humanistic medicine. Despite lacking a medical background herself, Poh Luan bravely took on the leadership role in Tzu Chi Kedah’s fledgling medical department. In addition to undertaking the department’s administrative duties, she personally visited the dialysis centre daily to check on the kidney patients and oversee various matters pertaining to its operations. On the other hand, Poh Luan spared no expense in advancing the Mission of Education, sponsoring two bungalows to be converted into Da Ai Kindergarten. Poh Luan was unable to achieve her ambition of becoming a teacher due to her lack of educational qualifications, but now she had the chance to compensate for her unfulfilled dream by contributing to the development of Tzu Chi’s educational ideals. Persevering until the end In 2016, Poh Luan started feeling unwell during a disaster relief mission in Myanmar and was diagnosed with lymphoma upon returning home. Following the diagnosis, she calmly called for a family meeting to announce her condition and inform her kin of the necessary arrangements. Once settled, she checked herself into the hospital for treatment. Poh Luan had been losing weight since undergoing surgery and chemotherapy. Her health had also declined significantly, yet she never stopped devoting herself to Tzu Chi’s missions. Her family was concerned to see her exerting herself and advised her to rest, but to no avail; she insisted on keeping herself occupied with her Tzu Chi obligations. Since November 2018, Poh Luan had become increasingly weak until the day she lost her balance and fell in the bathroom. The doctor examined her and declared that the cancerous cells had spread all over her body; her lymphoma had reached the final stage. Her loved ones were alarmed, while she serenely accepted her fate. As news of Poh Luan’s deteriorating condition circulated, friends from near and far came to visit her and convey their concern. On December 20, 2018, 800 fellow volunteers from across the nation converged on the grounds of her residence to bless her with prayers. Her family went to great lengths to ensure her comfort as her condition deteriorated; their love for her was evident in their round-the-clock eople