{"id":323880,"date":"2024-12-20T17:00:38","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T09:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tzuchiculture.org\/?p=323880"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:04:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T07:04:30","slug":"a-second-chance-at-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/tzu-chi-monthly\/a-second-chance-at-life\/","title":{"rendered":"A Second Chance at Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Timoteo Dicen survived a vehicular accident in 2020 but lost his wife and his right leg. Four years later, he met Tzu Chi volunteers who helped bring clarity to his eyes and assisted him in receiving a prosthetic leg.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Timoteo strived to carry on with life after losing his wife and his leg, working odd jobs to support himself and going to his medical checkups by himself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Relying on his crutches for support, 55-year-old Timoteo Dicen hobbled into the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Manila, the Philippines, in early February this year. He was alone, and still heartbroken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timoteo had survived a vehicular accident. The jeepney he and his wife were riding home lost its brakes and tipped over, killing two passengers and injuring 28 others. Sadly, his wife was one of the fatalities, and he lost his right leg as a result of his injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the accident was four years ago, the grief remained acute in Timoteo’s heart. In a blink of an eye, the incident robbed him not only of a future with his wife but also of a normal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They held a funeral and buried my wife while I was still at the hospital,” Timoteo tearfully recounted. “When I was finally discharged, she was gone.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The loss almost drove him mad. “I became depressed. Revenge consumed my waking thoughts,” he said, recalling how he had thought of purchasing a gun and shooting the driver who caused his misery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When his head cleared, Timoteo decided to push through with a lawsuit against the jeepney driver. He wanted justice. While the case was being heard, he tried to live normally by putting himself to work. Despite being a limb amputee, he did construction work and helped his brothers harvest their farm produce. He refused to be a burden to his family. However, when cataracts began to develop in his right eye as a result of the accident, he once again felt at a loss. Through the encouragement of friends he had made in the hospital, he visited the Tzu Chi Eye Center, hoping to receive treatment for his eye disease. What he stumbled upon was beyond his expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteers, upon seeing his amputated leg and hearing his story, were moved to do more for him. They sought help from the Rotary Club of Forbes Park, which readily responded and committed to paying for Timoteo’s prosthetic leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In addition to the physical challenges, not having your limbs affects your emotional well-being,” said Anton Jacobina, president of the Rotary Club of Forbes Park. “We don’t want such persons to think that they are a burden in society. Instead, we want them to have hope and lead a productive life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A week after visiting the Tzu Chi Eye Center, Timoteo underwent prosthetic leg casting. The artificial leg was fine-tuned according to his needs and comfort. Four months later, Timoteo put on his prosthetic leg for the first time and took his first step in four years. With a tear-stained face, he told the Tzu Chi volunteers, “I came here wanting only to have my eyes checked, but you provided me with a prosthetic leg. I now realize that all my hurts were replaced with something good. These are happy tears because you have made me happy again and given me a new life. I am very thankful to you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteer Alfredo Li (\u674e\u5049\u5d69) responded: “We saw that he is a fighter. He will not be defeated in life. Despite what happened to him, he keeps going forward. That is why we are so happy that we got to help him.” To Timoteo, he said, “Dedicate your blessings to your late wife. I am sure that wherever she is looking at you from right now, she is also very happy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the succeeding days, as Timoteo awaited his cataract surgery, volunteers regularly visited him at his sister’s home in Mandaluyong City to bring gifts and offer motivation. They bought him a new pair of shoes and installed steel bars so he could continue to practice walking with his new prosthetic leg at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 19, Timoteo underwent cataract surgery at the Tzu Chi Eye Center. The operation immediately restored his eyesight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, with a new leg and his eyesight restored, Timoteo exudes an air of optimism and confidence\u2014a far cry from the hopeless man the volunteers had met four months earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I thought I had lost everything and would never recover again,” he said. “I am very grateful because you never left my side. You were there to assist me until I recovered. I promise to look for a new job. For as long as I live, I shall never forget that you paved the way for my second chance in life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dharma Master Cheng Yen said, “Life is impermanent. It exists in the space of a breath. Life ends when breathing stops. We must cherish every moment.” Timoteo may have learned the impermanence of life the hard way, but having regained his eyesight and being empowered by his new leg, he is now determined to seize his miraculous second chance at life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Timoteo Dicen survived a vehicular accident in 2020 but lost his wife and his right leg. Four years later, he met Tzu Chi volunteers who helped bring clarity to his eyes and assisted him in receiving a prosthetic leg.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":323883,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

Sierra Leone, one of the world's poorest nations, has seen a decade of collaboration between Tzu Chi and three nonprofit partners to aid the poor and vulnerable. Now, the focus is shifting toward self-sufficiency.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Volunteers from Tzu Chi's partner organizations in Sierra Leone lay stones over a muddy road to make it passable. In 2024, while delivering rice to the southeastern region, they encountered impassable roads due to heavy rain and had to find ways to continue their journey. (Courtesy of Tzu Chi Hualien headquarters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Passengers made their way to immigration after their plane touched down at Freetown International Airport in Sierra Leone. Among them was Tzu Chi USA volunteer Debra Boudreaux (\u66fe\u6148\u6167), who noted the airport's fully computerized systems, electric baggage carousels, and jet bridges. Such features are standard at most modern airports but a clear sign of progress compared to what she had seen on earlier visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She recalled that during her first trip in 2016, the airport had no jet bridges and luggage was handled manually. Conditions beyond the airport also appeared underdeveloped. What struck her most on this visit, in February 2025, six years after her last in 2019, were the visible signs of development. \"Many new buildings were going up,\" she said. \"Nights were no longer pitch black but lit with lights, and local markets bustled with diverse activity. There has been progress in every aspect of daily life\u2014food, clothing, housing, transportation, agriculture, and commerce. It may be slow, but it is real and visible.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tzu Chi began its work in Sierra Leone in March 2015, responding to the Ebola outbreak by providing support to orphans, women, and people with disabilities. That effort sparked a decade-long partnership with local charitable organizations and sustained aid to various institutions. Today, Tzu Chi maintains an office in the country, with staff representing the foundation in government meetings and emergency relief efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February 2025, Johan Alwall (\u6b50\u53cb\u6db5) and Chu Yu-jia (\u891a\u4e8e\u5609) from Tzu Chi's headquarters in Taiwan traveled over 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) to join Debra Boudreaux for a 15-day visit. Together, they met with local organizations and partners to reflect on the past ten years' work and plan for future collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Koindu<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tzu Chi's connection to Sierra Leone can be traced back to Koindu, an agricultural town in the eastern part of the country, near the Liberian and Guinean borders. Koindu was one of the first areas in the nation affected by the 2013 Ebola outbreak, which ultimately claimed more than 10,000 lives across the three countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The virus spread rapidly in Sierra Leone, exacerbated by a weak public health system, the practice of family members caring for the sick, and traditional customs such as washing the deceased. The country recorded the highest number of infections among the three nations. Thousands of children lost their parents, and fear of the highly lethal disease led to the stigmatization and rejection of survivors and victims' families by their own communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2015, Tzu Chi began working with Caritas Freetown and the Healey International Relief Foundation to distribute food, tableware, beds, blankets, and other supplies. The Lanyi Foundation joined in 2016. Each year, Tzu Chi applies to Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture (formerly the Council of Agriculture) for humanitarian rice aid. Some of the rice is shipped to Sierra Leone for distribution, along with multigrain powder provided by the monastics at the Jing Si Abode, the Buddhist convent founded by Master Cheng Yen that also serves as the headquarters of Tzu Chi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koindu is about a five-hour drive from Freetown, including 52 kilometers (32 miles) of rough dirt roads that are difficult to navigate, even with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, and especially during the rainy season. In September 2024, when a Caritas team delivered aid there, their truck became stuck, stranding them there for three days. They ended up relying on motorcycles from nearby villages to transport the supplies.
During their drive to Koindu on this trip, the visiting Tzu Chi team noted clear signs of change. Infrastructure improvements tied to China's Belt and Road Initiative were helping connect villages with better roads. Roadside vendors remained a familiar sight as they reached the outskirts of Koindu, but new additions included a police station and a mosque. Solar panels of various sizes dotted the landscape, providing electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a Saturday, so children were not in school. Some played outside their thatched homes, while others helped their parents with chores. Goats roamed freely along dirt paths. Women gathered to weave crafts or mix sand and soil to make bricks, preparing to expand their homes. Nearby, a group of mechanics repaired motorcycles\u2014the community's primary mode of transport. These scenes reflected signs of economic recovery in the impoverished village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Koindu has nine public schools, many children orphaned by Ebola still face discrimination and are denied access to education. \"What moved me most was Auntie Mary [Mary Sesay],\" said Debra Boudreaux. \"She founded an orphanage and a primary school to help these children rejoin society. Tzu Chi has supported the school since 2016 with rice and multigrain powder. The children are much healthier now.\"
Johan Alwall added that many orphans had been abandoned on the streets. Auntie Mary took it upon herself to find and care for them, ensuring they were fed and clothed, and placing them with foster families. Later, she even provided land for the construction of a school, which was named Smile With Us Primary School. During the team's visit, lessons written on the blackboard showed the students were receiving a solid education. One or two students were even pursuing university admission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victoria, a teacher at the school, is an Ebola survivor. Though she recovered physically, the trauma remains. Grateful for Tzu Chi's years of support, she became a volunteer. In 2018, she traveled to Taiwan and met Master Cheng Yen in person. She continues to carry the Master's words in her heart and does her best to serve her community. She hopes the villagers will cherish and make good use of the support they've received from Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mobilized by Tzu Chi, Caritas, the Healey Foundation, and the Lanyi Foundation, residents in Kroo Bay clean up their community following flooding in August 2023. (Courtesy of Tzu Chi Hualien headquarters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1213,1215],"tags":[1219,1221],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"class_list":["post-323880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tzu-chi-monthly","category-tc2024","tag-1219","tag-tzu-chi-monthly"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323880"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":324190,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323880\/revisions\/324190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323880"},{"taxonomy":"dipi_cpt_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dipi_cpt_category?post=323880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}