The volunteers are amazing. They just help us and don't ask for anything in return. I really think they are great, truly generating power with love. –Xiao Niu

"Mom, I'm here," a boy says softly as he sits by the hospital bed, reading from a picture book. After finishing the story, he gently massages his mother's arm and tucks in her blankets. Though she remains unresponsive, he visits every day.

The boy, known by the alias Xiao Niu (小牛), is a teenager living with Asperger's syndrome.

Growing up, Xiao Niu had his own unique rhythm and insistence on routines, requiring his parents to devote extra care and attention to his upbringing. Everything changed when his family discovered football. Running on the field helped him stabilize his emotions. To better understand her son, his mother dedicated herself to earning special education qualifications. His father took on the role of coach, establishing a football club in Puli in central Taiwan to accompany his son through every practice. Through football, Xiao Niu gradually built his confidence. He not only won multiple medals in competitions but also became an assistant coach, guiding other children on the field. The once introverted boy was finding his way to connect with the world.

A sudden shift in reality

In May 2020, an unexpected medical emergency shattered the family's peaceful life. During a camping trip, his mother collapsed and was diagnosed with a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. After surviving two ruptures and emergency craniotomies, she fell into a long-term coma. The rapid accumulation of medical bills soon exceeded one million TWD (about 31,700 USD), plunging the family into immense stress.

His father shouldered the heavy burden of caregiving and financial pressure, losing 12 kilograms in just three months. At the time, Xiao Niu was only in the fifth grade. With no one at home to care for him, he had to move between the homes of relatives and foster families, leaving him with a deep sense of insecurity. The emergency had pulled the ground from beneath their feet.

Stepping in with practical care

During their darkest moments, local volunteers arrived to offer consistent support. They visited regularly, bringing daily necessities and nutritional supplements. Most importantly, they spent time talking with his father, assuring him that he was not facing the hardship alone. The volunteers provided a monthly living subsidy, which allowed the father to hire a caregiver to tend to his comatose wife.

Recognizing the disruption in Xiao Niu's life, the volunteers also assisted him in applying for the New Sprouts Scholarship so his education would not be interrupted. He used the funds to cover school expenses and purchase books, a computer keyboard, and headphones to improve his English and Japanese language skills.

Standing on stage to receive his scholarship, he shared his family's journey:

The volunteers are amazing. They just help us and don't ask for anything in return. I really think they are great, truly generating power with love.— Xiao Niu, Scholarship Recipient

In those seemingly endless days, the volunteers’ care let the family know that they were not fighting alone.

Rebuilding the family routine

Throughout his mother's coma, Xiao Niu never gave up. He spent years sitting by her bedside, reading picture books and massaging her limbs to stimulate her nerves. Then, in April 2024, an incredibly rare development occurred—after nearly four years in a coma, his mother woke up.

Today, Xiao Niu is a mature high school freshman. He takes the initiative to do household chores and, upon returning from school, always shares the details of his day with his mother, eager to fill the four-year gap in their lives. His mother is now actively undergoing rehabilitation, holding onto the hope that she will one day be able to go hiking with her husband again. After weathering life's most difficult storms, the family cherishes every single day they have together.

Source: Tzu Chi Foundation