By Marie-Claude Pelchat | Project Leader
Yu-Ling (*) was 56 years old at the time of injury. This mother of two daughters sustained serious injuries after a gas explosion, having severe burns over 40% of her body. Due to the gravity of her injury, Yu-Ling was hospitalized for 6 months, with the first 4 months spent in coma. Her daughters were by her side throughout, talking to her, holding her hand, singing to her and calling her name, but also taking care of not crying in front of her, because they believed they could still reach out to their mother despite the haze of unconsciousness.
When Yu-Ling made a miraculous recovery and finally came out of the coma, she had to come to grip with the fact that she couldn’t use her hands, nor could she stand up and walk. There were a lot of things she could no longer do by herself. Thanks to her daughters, she came to stay at Sunshine Half-Way House and began her long process of recovery by doing daily rehabilitation at Sunshine Rehabilitation Center. Sunshine helped Yu-Ling in her two-year struggle, not only to recover her ability to walk and be independent, but also to come to terms with her scars and her changed appearance.
Although her daughters are grown women, she still felt the guilt of not having been able to be by there side as a mother should for so long. As she began training to regain the use her hands, she spent a lot of time re-learning how to hold a pen and write. Eventually, she was able to write a full page letter to her daughters, telling them how much she loved them and how she wished for their happiness.
And when her eldest daughter got married, she worried at first that if she attended while wearing her pressure garment, she would create a distraction during the event or bring discomfort to the groom’s family. But her daughter said: “Who hasn’t had a parent or a family member who fell ill or was injured? Having my mother by my side during this special day is the best blessing a daughter could have!”
Your support over the last year has been crucial in helping burn survivors like Yu-Ling find the strength to return to a normal life. Now, during GlobalGiving’s Bonus Day on May 7, you have the chance to maximize the value of your support because GlobalGiving will be matching gifts made to Sunshine Foundation at 30%. This means that your donation of $100 will receive a $30 match!
We invite you to support Sunshine Foundation’s efforts to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services to burn survivors in Taiwan by donating to our project Rehabilitation for burn survivors in Taiwan.
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/burn-survivor-rehabilitation/ .
Mark the Bonus Day date on your calendar!!!
Taiwan time: from Wednesday, May 7 at 9:00 PM to Thursday, May 8 at 11:59 AM.
US time: from Wednesday, May 7 at 9:00 AM EST to Wednesday, May 7 at 11:59 PM EST
On behalf of Sunshine Foundation and its international partners, a huge thank you for your support!
PS: We encourage you to make your donation early, because matching funds will likely run out before the end of the day.
(*) Name has been modified.
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