| His Love Lives On | ||
| By Li Ling-hui Translated by Tang Yau-yang Photo courtesy of Hsin Tien Senior High School | ||
I have been a principal for 18 years. One of the things that I do each year is confer diplomas at commencement ceremonies, congratulate the graduates, and wish them the best as they move on to the next phase of their lives. Sadly, graduating students isn’t always a joyful occasion. I have had to graduate students in hospital wards or, even worse, …. This year, graduation day for my school fell on June 6, 2017. Chen You-an (陳宥安), who should have been one of the graduates, could not be there. The next morning, I went to him to hold a commencement ceremony specifically for him.
A considerate child You-an was born many years after his two sisters came into the world and grew up with his whole family doting on him. Yet instead of becoming spoiled with the extra attention, he grew up to be considerate and caring. He also brought a lot of laughter to his family. He was just as much a sweet boy at school. Perhaps taking after his mother, he often helped classmates who were disabled or disadvantaged in other ways. He was warmhearted and liked to help others. You-an’s involvement with Tzu Chi started when he was young. When he was still in junior high, A-gui, a homeless man who had ulcers in his legs, was referred to Tzu Chi for help. The man was subsequently sent to Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital for treatment. You-an’s aunt was a Tzu Chi volunteer, and she was among the volunteers assigned to care for him. Through his aunt, You-an came to make the acquaintance of the homeless man. After A-gui was discharged from the hospital, You-an often helped him peddle magazines on the streets. That lasted until A-gui died in 2015. After graduating from junior high school, You-an entered my school, Hsin Tien Senior High School. Our school places value and emphasis on fostering student character, and so students are encouraged to take part in volunteer work. You-an was active in volunteering both on and off campus. Two years ago, in 2015, Typhoon Soudelor hit Taiwan. One of the areas hit hard was Wulai, northern Taiwan. Tzu Chi volunteers rushed in to help clean up the mud and debris left by the storm. When Master Cheng Yen learned that most of the volunteers who went to help were quite elderly, she called on young people to join them in the clean-up efforts. Guishan Elementary School, located on the way to Wulai, had been badly flooded. Part of the school had been submerged in water one-story high. Since the summer vacation was almost over and the new school year was just around the corner, the school desperately needed help to have any chance of opening on schedule. After I learned of the Master’s appeal and of the school’s situation, I urged the teachers and students at my school to help clean up the elementary school. Many immediately responded. They rolled up their sleeves, set to work, and got the classrooms ready for the new semester. In a Da Ai TV report about the event, I saw You-an moving desks and chairs.
The unimaginable Not only was You-an kind and compassionate, but he was quite athletic, too. He excelled at swimming and track events, often medaling in competitions. Who would have known that a tumor would grow in the head of such a sunny boy? You-an was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was in grade 10. His condition stabilized after treatment. But just one year later, when he was in grade 11, he relapsed. After several surgeries, he needed to learn to regain his motor skills, starting with crawling and then walking. Despite his challenges, he never complained about what he had to go through. Even when he was in pain, he quietly suffered through it. He didn’t want to add to his family’s worries about him. He hoped he could one day return to school, but he was well aware that the chance was slim. His tumor was hard to cure. One day, his aunt told him a story about how in a past life the Buddha, as King Shibi, sacrificed himself to save a dove from a hawk. After hearing the story, You-an told his family that, in the event of his death, he would like to donate his organs. He subsequently signed the appropriate forms. His condition took a very bad turn in May 2017, just a few weeks before his high school graduation. His schoolmates wrote cards to cheer him on, and the school prepared his diploma ahead of schedule and delivered it to him in his sickbed. His struggle with cancer came to an end on May 22. His family, honoring his request, agreed to forgo life-sustaining treatments. His usable organs, including corneas and skin, were donated as he had wished. ● It was a bright sunny day when I went to the funeral parlor where You-an’s funeral would be held. A life-size cardboard cutout of You-an stood there, smiling—a smile that I had gotten used to seeing at school. When it was my turn to speak, I stood beside the cutout, mustered all my might to keep my composure, and read every word on his diploma. I then congratulated him as I would have any other graduate. This funeral had become his graduation—a graduation from school and from life. I wished him a pleasant journey and urged him to hurry back to this world to be my student again. Then I bowed deeply to him, along with the teachers and students from my school. When he was alive, You-an made his life shine by giving to others. After he had passed on, he gave to others again by putting his body to good use and donating his organs. He truly taught us a precious life lesson. Thank you so much, You-an. |
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