The world of Tzu Chi May 2020 (Vol.122)

2020 • 05 46 ouching Life Story the veins to increase. The pain and swelling in Thanaletchumi's left leg had been compounded by sensations of tightness, blistering and itching. When the pain was milder, she managed to walk around and perform household chores. Yet, prolonged standing or sitting would cause the gripping pain to set in. She had been advised by the doctor to adhere to her medication regimen in order to keep her condition under control, or else risk endangering her life. In view of Thanaletchumi’s worrying predicament, the volunteers decided to admit her and her family as long-term care recipients by way of subsidizing her medical costs and her youngest son’s school bus fare, besides providing a household subsidy for the family to enable them to afford nutritious meals. Akindred spirit for company Mui Ling empathized with Thanaletchumi, citing her own ordeal. “I feel for Thanaletchumi’s suffering. I heard that she endured sleepless nights for a year or two due to the pain in her leg. I understand the torment she went through, as my stressful lifestyle kept me awake at night for several years in the past.” The volunteers accompanied Thanaletchumi to the KL Tzu-Chi Free Clinic to seek medical attention. Following the doctor’s suggestion, Mui Ling submitted a request to Tzu Chi for the purchase of elastic compression stockings to relieve the pain in Thanaletchumi’s leg by wearing it for two to three hours before bedtime. Mui Ling has been visiting Thanaletchumi frequently to express concern for her condition and lend her a listening ear. Thanaletchumi once confided in tears: “Nothing worries me more than my eldest son. He stubbornly turns a deaf ear to my pleas to revise his studies or help with the housework. I fear he might mix with bad company…” Mui Ling’s heart ached for the single mother. Since the beginning of their acquaintance, Mui Ling had never heard a single complaint fromThanaletchumi regarding her pain. Yet, her face would crease with worry whenever Sanjay came to mind. Therefore, Mui Ling encouraged Soo Fen, also a single mother, to share her parenting experience with Thanaletchumi as a form of motivation. Since then, Mui Ling and Soo Fen started working closely together. During subsequent visits, Mui Ling would engage Sanjay in conversation or introduce him to Jing Si aphorisms, hoping to instil in him the virtue of filial piety, while Soo Fen would check in on Thanaletchumi. Amother’s unspoken love “Thanaletchumi and I are able to relate to each other, perhaps because both of us are single mothers,” remarked Soo Fen, whose husband succumbed to liver cancer soon after their son was born. She had to raise her son all by herself and was frustrated by his rebellious ways. She then enrolled into Tzu Chi’s Parent-child Bonding Class with her son and learnt to discipline her son with love and affection rather than harsh reprimands. Thanaletchumi gradually warmed to Soo Fen and began opening up about Sanjay’s lackadaisical attitude towards his studies since high school, preferring football and motorcycle joyrides instead. She gave in to exasperation as she recounted how Sanjay used to divide the household chores between himself and his younger brother, a stark contrast to his