Page 57 - 37-Fall 2013

Living Bodhisattvas

Even after chemotherapy,
Grace continued to express In early November 2012, our worst fears
her love of music. Provided were realized when Grace’s leukemia recurred.
by Johan Alwall
She immediately received treatment in
the hospital, her doctors got the number of
be close to her family leukemia cells in her blood back under control,
and Master Cheng and everything seemed to be improving.
Yen. Her case was very One day during her hospital stay, she even
special—it is extremely received a phone call in the hospital from a
unusual for someone to Tzu Chi volunteer who was helping a young
have two unrelated types of man struggling with depression. Grace chatted
cancer in such a short period of with the young man for a long time. She told
time—so she also wanted to provide him about her own situation, counseled him,
a learning experience for Tzu Chi's doctors. and reminded him how lucky he was to have
a strong and healthy body that allowed him to
Since bone marrow transplant patients go out and help people. That was the last time I
must have their immune systems completely saw Grace truly happy. She was doing what she
wiped out for their new bone marrow to take loved most: helping a person in need.
root, they must stay in a special ward in an
extremely clean environment where only nurses A few days later, Grace came down with a
and doctors can enter and only after donning a fever. She started coughing and had difficulty
full set of protective gear, including disinfected breathing. While her immune system was
clothes, isolation gowns, face masks, gloves, weakened by the leukemia treatment, her lungs
caps, and foot covers. It is not usually possible had become infected. Assisted by doctors and
for family members to accompany patients in nurses, Grace’s body fought a heroic battle for
isolation, but I was allowed to stay with her as a nearly four months, but it was not enough. On
test case. I slept on a foldable bed next to hers, the morning of March 30, 2013, Grace left us.
wearing the full set of protective equipment.
Spending five minutes to take off and put on the I was only given five short years to spend
gear each time I needed to use the bathroom or with Grace, but I will always be grateful for
have a bite to eat was a nuisance, but it was a the time we had together. I am grateful for
small price to pay to be there with Grace. everything she did for so many people, grateful
that she showed me a life that I would never
Again, the power of Grace's spirit and have discovered without her, and grateful for
amazing strength of her body triumphed: the the opportunity to spend time with her, to love
bone marrow transplant succeeded and the her, and to be loved by her. Grace’s time on
new stem cells found their way to the bone Earth was short, but her spirit will always live on
marrow to start producing new blood cells. in the hearts of all the people she touched and
inspired.
The first year after the transplant is crucial
for the new immune system to build up a For Grace Chen's sharing from just before the
strong defense for the body, so during this time, leukemia diagnosis, please see Issue 30 (Fall 2011).
Grace had to rest a lot and could not be near
crowded places. Yet, despite discomfort and all
the problems that accompany the transplant, We cannot control the length of our
she continued to do whatever volunteer work life, but we can strive to extend its
she could manage, especially translating and depth and scope.
editing. Jing Si Aphorism by Dharma Master Cheng Yen

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