The world of Tzu Chi Sep-Oct 2022 (Vol.143)

TZU CHI 143 33 could the boy be located? After all, India is 4,200 km from Taiwan. It was then that they remembered Abhishek Kumar, a new Tzu Chi volunteer who lives in Rajgir and works as a Chinese language tour guide. When asked if he could help, he readily agreed to do his best. Abhishek set off to look for the boy at 9:30 a.m. on June 14, 2022, the day after he received the request to help locate him.All that he had to help him find the boy was the name of the village, some photos, and the footage in which the youngster was seen. Braving a scorching sun with temperatures up to 48℃, Abhishek travelled on a motor scooter through village after village to track down the mystery boy. At 5 p.m., just as the sun was about to set, Abhishek saw a large banyan tree that had appeared in the video. He walked down a trail next to the tree and began asking villagers in the area if they knew of the boy. Based on their directions, he found the boy just before dusk fell. Meeting the boy The boy’s name is Sandeep Kumar. He is nine and has seven siblings. Via video chat, Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan told his mother about the care and concern Master Cheng Yen and Tzu Chi felt about her son. The mother was surprised and replied with hope in her voice, “I am very thankful to Tzu Chi. It would be great if my boy could receive treatment and even get a chance to go to school.” Abhishek himself was deeply moved by the selfless Great Love that had travelled across seas to reach a little boy in his country. He could tell that the family in front of him was poor, so he immediately went to buy some food for them. To help Sandeep obtain treatment, Abhishek enlisted the help of Vivek Kumar, a Tzu Chi volunteer who lives in Bodhgaya. They visited Sandeep and his family again on June 16 to discuss arrangements for the boy’s medical treatment. In fact, Sandeep’s parents had taken him to a hospital in Patna, Bihar, five years ago. However, they made the decision to forgo treatment as the family could not afford the treatment and also because the doctor had informed them that the surgery would be risky. Sandeep’s medical history was forwarded to Dr. Chao You-chen, the superintendent of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital in Taiwan. He judged that the boy’s extended abdomen was not a result of roundworm infestation or ascites, but rather was linked to a urological condition. The case was passed on to Deputy Superintendent Yang Shei-Dei, an expert in paediatric urology. Dr. Yang immediately contacted physicians in Kolkata and New Delhi, and conferred with them online about possible treatments for Sandeep. A 20-hour journey into the unknown Since Sandeep’s medical records were five years old, the doctors decided that the boy should be examined again to obtain the most updated information about his condition. On June 23, Abhishek accompanied Sandeep and his parents to Bodhgaya, where they met up with Vivek and took the boy to a hospital for an examination. The following day, as soon as Vivek obtained the X-ray film, he reported back to the Tzu Chi doctors in Taiwan. After reviewing the test results, Superintendent Chao concluded that Sandeep’s condition was one of those extreme cases. All things considered, he felt it would be best for Sandeep to receive medical care in India. He suggested a direction for the boy’s