The world of Tzu Chi October 2020 (Vol.127)

2020 • 10 12 eature Love is the best medicine – Long Karmen Fortunately, I came with Tzu Chi and wasn’t alone. I still don’t have any medicine, but they brought the best treatment in the world, and that is, love. – Dr. Long Karmen By Lim Li Tian Translated by Jilly Bong U nder the blazing sun, there was nowhere to hide from the scorching heat. A Malaysian family doctor, Karmen Long, accompanied by local volunteers, arrived at a small mud hut, in a village in Mozambique. On the worn-out mat on the mud floor, lay a woman who was skinny to the bones. A cloth was placed over her head to protect her from the glare of the sunlight and the hovering flies. The patient in her 50s is the mother of a volunteer. According to the daughter, the mother had been unable to consume foods for six months, and yet suffered from constant diarrhoea. It was only after a detailed enquiry, that the daughter revealed that her mother had AIDS. Karmen felt her swollen belly and examined her. It seemed that the patient was also suffering from malnutrition and had entered the terminal stage. But, Karmen dared not tell her the cruel reality. “I told her to just relax and take in as much food as she can. But in fact, I felt guilty