The world of Tzu Chi June 2020 (Vol.123)

2020 • 06 46 ouching Life Story pledge to serve with Tzu Chi until her last breath. Bee Tin’s mother was diagnosed with dementia. She slept in the day; at night, she woke her husband from slumber and demanded that he massage her aching legs. She made a fuss almost everyhalf anhour, disruptingher husband’s sleep. In fact, Bee Tin’s father was so sleep-deprived that he was once overwhelmed by dizziness and fell three times within the same day. Bee Tin and her siblings were hard-pressed to divide their time between their own families and their parents. Once, Bee Tin’s sister-in-law was delivering a meal to Bee Tin’s parents when she discovered that Bee Tin’s father had fallen on the floor and was unable to climb back to his feet. She had to seek help from passersby as she lacked the strength to carry him. Bee Tin used to clean up after her mother, who was an invalid and used to soil herself with no one at home to tend to her. Bee Tin’s father showed no signs of disapproval, but Bee Tin ultimately decided to place her parents under the care of a nursing home for the sake of their safety. “I’ll never match Wai Tooh’s dedication. I doubt that I’ll ever be capable of emulating everything he has done for his mother. There’s no way I’d keep watch over my parents through the night. I admire him for his extraordinary commitment,” Bee Tin reflected pensively. After Bee Tin’s parents were admitted to the nursing home, she visited them with their favourite homecooked meals whenever she had time to spare. She was relieved that her mother’s condition had since improved and her father no longer had to suffer sleepless nights. Chooi Leng nodded in agreement; she commiserated with Bee Tin’s plight as her mother-in-law was a dementia patient who required round-the-clock care. She professed that employing a domestic helper to care for the senior had eased her and her husband’s burden, allowing the couple to take turns looking after her. “I commend Wai Tooh for taking all caregiving responsibilities upon himself without depending on anyone else to care for his mother,” she remarked. Mrs Chew passed away in January earlier this year due to old age. Wai Tooh paid his final respects to his mother and settled the funeral arrangements with assistance from his family and the volunteers. Tzu Chi has discontinued financial support to the late Mrs Chew, while the volunteers have offered to help Wai Tooh in seeking employment to earn his own living. Fulfilling one’s filial duties and committing charitable deeds are inescapable obligations in life to compensate for the toil and labour our parents have endured in raising us. Wai Tooh’s unrelenting devotion to his mother and his filial intentions of prioritizing his mother’s well-being above all else are not only moving, but also a rare testament to the importance of repaying our parents’ love in a time when the virtue of filial piety is gradually losing its standing in modern society. The volunteers lifted Mrs Chew’s spirits during their visits by engaging her in cheerful conversation.