February 1999

Outstanding warrior of regeneration

"Medical Encyclopedia"

    Medical Encyclopedia is the nickname of Miss Chak Yin Ching. However, she is not a doctor with profound medical knowledge, but a chronic patient.

    In 1996, she was awarded the Ten Outstanding Warriors of Regeneration Society.

Everyone who first meets Miss Chak will not think she is a patient as she appears to be in good shape. But the truth is that she has been haunted by many rare and incurable diseases for 25 years. When she was 18 years old, she had rheumatoid arthritis which causes serious joint pain. Since then, diseases have never stopped chasing after her. She has been suffering from serious bleeding haemorrhoids in her intestine, stomach, lungs, alimentary canal and respiratory canal.

    In 1992, because of von Willebrand's Disease, which causes bleeding tendency, she had to go to Tuen Mun Hospital twice a week for blood transfusions.

    Having all these misfortunes, she once inevitably thought that the diseases were punishments imposed by God.

    However, the verse from Psalms 103:10 of the Bible changed her attitude: "He (the Lord) does not punish us as we deserve or repay us for our sins and wrongs."

    She then began to lead a very meaningful life. She had worked as a clerk in a secondary school for 17 years before another serious disease attacked her. In 1995, she discovered that she had pituitary adenoma which causes severe headache and she went to Japan for an operation called " Gamma Knife".

    Before the trip, she had already lost the sight of her right eye. Worse still, the operation failed and brought her many side effects like diabetes insipidus, early Empty Sella Syndrome and Left Eye Optic Nerves Atrophied which made her left eye nearly blind.

    Blindness not only deprived her of her job but also pushed her into an abyss of despair.

    "I was very frustrated when the doctor told me that I lost nealy all my vision.

    "If I were lame, I could still read, write and use the computer. However, I thought I could not do anything due to my blindness," said she.

    "Other than being unable to read, write and use the computer, I cannot go to distant places, especially at night. Moreover, I cannot participate in many outdoor activities, like hiking and shopping," said she.

    She cried for a week as a result of all these.

    However, she never leaves herself frustrated for too long. In the end, she managed to stand out against the adversities.

    "All events are originally neutral, whether it is a blessing or an evil greatly depends on how we think."

She bought a computer software called "Magic" from the United States. This software is used to enlarge the size of characters. She also bought a 20-inch computer monitor that enables her to use the computer with her damaged eyesight. And her friend bought her a "TVi" which enlarges words on the television receiver.

     The Hong Kong Society for the Blind has helped her a lot too.

    They regularly lend her "Talking Books" and "Talking Magazines" which are tapes of books and magazines. They send these tapes to her by mail. After using them, she just needs to put them back in her mailbox.

    Every week, a home-helper does one and a half-hours of household chores for her.

All these devices and services help Miss Chak get used to her new life. In spite of all these difficulties, she never thinks her life is gloomy. Instead, she thinks that diseases enrich her life. They also help her to explore medical knowledge by reading books.

    Said she: "This knowledge reduces my misunderstanding in medical treatments and unnecessary worry. It also streamlines the communications between doctors and me."

    Said she: "I have prepared my own medical history which is full of medical jargon. Once a doctor read it and thought it was prepared by a doctor. She was very surprised to find that I wrote the report all by myself."

    Miss Chak is now writing a book named "Smile in the Rainstorm".

    Said she: "This book is about my experiences, feelings and attitude towards having so many diseases. It also tells how God saves me and makes my life more beautiful.

    "The award of the Ten Outstanding Warriors of Regeneration Society encourages me and gives me chances to share my testimony with students in several secondary schools, Lingnan University and so on," said she.

    Many people have asked Miss Chak what supports her struggle for survival.

    "First, it is because of the grace given by God. Although I have had many sufferings, God's grace is enough for me to overcome all these," said she.

    She was in need of money when she planned to go to Japan for the "Gamma Knife" operation. An old woman sent her US$2000 although she had not met Miss Chak before.

    "God really arranged this for me," said she.

    Her doctors also play important roles in her life.

    "If I give up, my doctors, especially Dr. Yeung, will be very disappointed," said she.

    One day, she went to Prince Philip Dental Hospital for medical treatment.

    Dr. Chiu asked a technician to finish a splint for her within that day, so that she did not need to go to the hospital once more.

    Miss Chak then asked Doctor Chiu, "Would you still treat me like this if my disease was incurable?"

    Dr. Chiu said, "Of course I would. Even if you could only live until tomorrow, I would still do my best."

    "Although my family members are apathetic to me, my friends and colleagues have always supported me. They let me experience the most precious thing in the world--love," said she, smiling.

    "On one of my birthdays, I was in the hospital and it rained cats and dogs. Suddenly, two friends who lived in Yuen Long came to visit me.

    "It was incredible! I really cherish our friendship very much," said she.

    Positive thinking is also very important to her. Said she: "All events are originally neutral, whether they are blessings or evils depend on how we perceive."

    Many times she has been on the verge of death.

    Said she: "Life and death are of no difference. Death is not an end, instead, it is the beginning of another stage.

    "I know that my health will keep on deteriorating. Therefore, I will take everything easy, including sufferings.

    "Moreover, I will not just focus on my illnesses only. I will make good use of my time to do things I like," sais she.

    Most people try to escape from misfortune in different ways, like committing suicide.

    However, Miss Chak can proudly say: "My life is beautiful. And I will try my best to overcome all the difficulties."