The world of Tzu Chi Jan-Feb 2022 (Vol.139)

2022 • 02 38 Report and photo by Julie Yen Yu Chu Translated by Ong Mooi Lin ouching Life Story Hampered by Illness, Propped up by Love Years ago, doctors pronounced that Lee Ah Peng, who was struck by an illness, would be paralysed. This crippled his spirit and suicidal thought arose. Now, he takes recycling as part of his rehabilitation exercise, and aspires to benefit others through voluntary work. I n 2018, a middle-aged Lee Ah Peng experienced a sudden numbness and weakness in his limbs, and had to suspend his job at a steel factory. He exhausted his savings seeking treatments everywhere, but both western and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners were unable to identify the cause of his illness. His persistent illness, coupled with difficulty in managing his daily life and all sorts of stress, plunged him into severe depression. He recalled, “I was confined to bed most of the time and struggled to get up. The pressures of life—finance, physical body Despite the difficulty in bending his knees and squatting, Lee Ah Peng has persisted in collecting recyclables in his neighbourhood.