Ayush's father came to the Tzu Chi Foundation in Lumbini, Nepal, and requested photos of the volunteers in order to pray for and express gratitude towards them. What moved him so deeply was the power of great love.
Open Path to Medical Treatment
Ayush is the youngest patient in Tzu Chi's care in Nepal. He was only nine months old when he was diagnosed with cryptorchidism during a medical outreach in November last year. He required surgery, but his father, who works as a day laborer, only earns about US$5.5 per day; this is not enough to cover the expensive medical costs.
The arrival of the Tzu Chi volunteers eased the hearts of the family.
After a home visit to learn about the family's situation, the volunteers assisted in obtaining a certificate of a low-income household. This allowed the family to receive subsidies when seeking medical treatment at the hospital for Ayush.
When Ayush's grandmother learned Tzu Chi would help her grandson receive treatment, she was so moved that she even wanted to bow down to volunteer Lim Kim Yan (林金燕） from Singapore. In the local culture, this is the highest form of respect for a person. Lim was surprised and quickly helped the grandmother up.
After comforting her, the volunteers accompanied Ayush and his parents to the hospital. By combining medical care with charity, the volunteers entered Ayush's home and opened the way to seek medical treatment.
Relay of Love, Mission Accomplished
On the outskirts of Butwal, the AMDA Hospital, formerly known as the Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital, is the first children's hospital outside Kathmandu, the capital. It was the destination of Ayush for his medical treatment.
The journey from Ayush's home to the hospital was about 38 kilometers. Although the car ride took only an hour, the subsequent process of queuing for registration, payment, examinations, blood tests, running between various departments, communicating with nursing staff, and finally confirming the surgery date, took an entire day.
"It was like meeting a benefactor. We were able to quickly get Ayush checked while the doctor was changing operating theaters, so that he could complete all the necessary procedures before the surgery," said Malaysian volunteer Wang Qi-Zhen (王綺楨). Throughout the process of seeking treatment, many people helped; this made it possible for Ayush to schedule the surgery in a timely manner.
There is a significant gap between the medical equipment and even the mindset between the medical staff and the patients. "All sick people not only need money but also a lot of procedures to receive good treatment" -- this was Wang’s most profound realization during the entire process of accompanying Ayush.
Warmth of Society
During this period, she also saw the warmth of Nepali people. Because Ayush's parents did not have extra money, the volunteers went to nearby restaurants to coordinate: "Please let these two come to dine, we will pay for it." The restaurant owner was also moved when he learned of the care and support of the volunteers; he kindly offered a discount for the meal, allowing the two young parents to have enough to eat while taking care of their child.
While they accompanied Ayush in seeking medical treatment, many volunteers took turns completing the mission. This included providing food and daily necessities for Ayush during his hospitalization, as well as visiting and caring for Ayush's parents during their stay at the hospital.
On December 29, 2022, Ayush was finally discharged from the hospital and safely returned home. Wang said: "We completed this support over 16 shifts during the New Year period, so we must continue to support this family."
Support Ayush’s Family
After Ayush's recovery and return home, the volunteers stayed in touch with his family. During these interactions, they discovered that Ayush's mother was skilled in making rice snacks. They thought to themselves: "Since they don't accept our assistance, could we have them process the rice snacks instead?"
One small bag of rice can create a lot of rice snacks -- the favorite snack of local people.
After investigating the market, the volunteers discussed it with Ayush's mother and asked her to make the rice snacks. The volunteers then brought them to the school to provide extra meals for the students. This approach not only helped the students but also provided Ayush's mother with a way to earn money at home.
Gratitude
On January 23, 2023, Ayush's father came to the Tzu Chi office in Lumbini to request photos of the volunteers, so that he could express his gratitude and pray for their well-being. However, the volunteers politely declined his offer. Later that day, during a home visit, Ayush's grandmother also requested photos of the volunteers.
One told her: "We are able to come to your home because of our Master, founder of Tzu Chi, Venerable Master Cheng Yen's compassion for everyone." Unexpectedly, when Grandmother saw the photo of the Master on the volunteer's prayer beads, she immediately paid her respects, which surprised the volunteer.
Power of Kindness
She then said: "I envy you for being able to do good deeds everywhere."
"We can do good deeds with just a handful of rice and save lives, just as Burmese farmers did. It's all true stories, and you can do it too," the volunteer told her, while sharing the story of "Burmese Rice Piggy Banks."
She softly replied: "We have enough food to eat, and saving lives with a handful of rice is doable." She wanted to do good deeds to repay the Master's kindness. Thus, the power of kindness spreads like ripples.
Nowadays, once a month at the Lumbini Tzu Chi office, the volunteers collect rice banks. One day, Ayush’s grandmother came to the office and said: "I didn't bring the rice bank today because I have only saved enough rice for five days. I'm sorry."
The volunteer encouraged her again: "A handful of rice can save lives. It's the accumulation of drops of water that forms an ocean. If everyone contributes a little bit, we can really save lives and do good deeds."
As the volunteers accompanied and cared for Ayush's family, they conveyed the spirit of Tzu Chi's medical care, charity, education, and humanities to them one by one. They hope to remove the pain of illness and turn the life of the family around.
Treat More Than Illness
The deputy executive director of Tzu Chi Malaysia and member of Tzu Chi's International Medical Association (TIMA), Dr. Tang Kiat Beng (陳吉民) is also a key member of the "Giving Back to the Buddha's Homeland" team. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to go to Nepal to fulfill their mission of repaying the Buddha's grace, the teachers’ grace, and the kindness of all beings since April last year.
After seeing how Nepal has been suffering for the past 2,500 years, Dr. Tang shared his heartfelt feelings. He said: "The most difficult thing in life is to suffer from illness, poverty due to illness, and illness due to poverty. In addition to medical care and alleviating suffering, what they need most is how to empower themselves."
Many patients cannot afford medical treatment due to poverty. Therefore Master Cheng Yen said in a speech on July 5, 2022
that she hopes to establish a free clinic to safeguard life and health with love. Dr. Tang and the team were commissioned to plan actively for it. Finally, on January 19, 2023, Tzu Chi's first free clinic in Nepal was completed.
Why does Master Cheng Yen care so much about a free clinic? Dr. Tang explained: "We see that Tzu Chi's free clinics are different from others because we not only treat illnesses, but we also want to understand the suffering behind the patients."
He gave an example of a patient who came to the free clinic on its first day not only to seek medical treatment but also to let the doctors understand the problems his family was facing. Because of the illness, his family had no food, and even sending his children to school had become a big problem. Therefore, the volunteers tried to understand his difficulties and find ways to help -- this is what sets Tzu Chi’s clinic apart from others.
A Jing Si Aphorism says: “Even though we have no relationships with other living beings, their suffering is our suffering, and their pain is our pain. When their bodies hurt, my heart worries. When their bodies are wounded, my heart feels the pain. This is called ‘great compassion for all.’”
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Story by Chen Shu-mei and Chen Xiu-gui from Taiwan
Reference: Volunteer Morning Meeting Sharing on February 26, 2023
