Mon, May 06, 2013 page11

• Oral cancer patients warn kids about betel nuts 我的下巴可警世　口腔癌友重機環島反檳榔

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  With no tongue, a fake chin and a hoarse guttural voice, oral cancer patient Chou Pei-yuan rode his scooter with his friend Tsai Wei-kuo, who also has oral cancer, to Hsinchu County on April 29 on his way around Taiwan to talk to children, using an interpreter, telling them to advise their fathers and uncles to give up their cigarettes and betel nuts and warning the kids to never touch the stuff when they grow up.

  Chou, known as “Brother A-yuan” at the Sunshine Social Welfare Association, was once a successful car salesperson. He would frequently smoke cigarettes and chew betel nuts with customers to gain favor with them, and rather enjoyed chatting with customers. He was always quite the conversationist.

  Chou has had 26 surgeries since being diagnosed with stage four oral cancer 13 years ago, and he stays in the hospital for one or two months each time. Most importantly, however, is that he has no tongue or chin, and spent more than a year learning how to vocalize again. Not being able to have conversations with people because of his craniofacial handicap has been the most miserable thing for Chou.

  

  Oral cancer patients Chou Pei-yuan and Tsai Wei-kuo, second and fourth from left back row, and Hsinchu County Commissioner Chiu Ching-chun, first left, pose with children outside of the Hsinchu County Public Health Bureau on April 29. 縣長邱鏡淳(左一)、口腔癌患者周培圓（中左二）和蔡維國（中左四）四月二十九日在新竹縣衛生局與小朋友合影。

  Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Liberty Times
  照片：自由時報記者黃美珠

  Chou can no longer enjoy regular food. Instead he can only look at it and return home to eat through a feeding tube every day. When he was diagnosed with oral cancer at the age of 37 his oldest son was still in preschool. Due to the way he looked and being unable to talk, he never went out over the next five years, and never saw his son smile once.

  Later when he was walking his dog one day he met a nice woman neighbor by chance. She was not scared at all by his appearance and patiently waited for him to finish each word, allowing him to interact with another person as if nothing had ever happened. Serving as a source of inspiration, it gave him the determination to work hard again for himself, his son and for everyone with oral cancer.

  (Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)

  

  Oral cancer patient Chou Pei-yuan holds a bottle of water in Miaoli County on April 29. 口腔癌患者周培圓四月二十九日於苗栗縣拿著一瓶水。

  hoto: Lin Hsin-han, Liberty Times
  照片：自由時報記者林欣漢

  沒有舌頭，只有「山寨版」下巴，和粗啞喉音，口腔癌友周培圓四月二十九日和「同病加油」的蔡維國，藉騎車環台到新竹縣，透過翻譯「發聲」，告訴小朋友要勸爸爸、阿伯們丟掉香菸、檳榔，自己長大後也不要碰。

  被陽光社會福利基金會稱做「阿圓哥」的周培圓，早年是當紅汽車業務員，為了和客戶「搏難」博感情，香菸、檳榔不離口，天南地北，愛聊天、也很能聊天。

  沒想到十三年前一發現罹患口腔癌就是四期，迄今動過二十六次手術，每次住院一到兩個月不等不打緊，最重要的是，這個病讓他沒了舌頭、下巴，花了一年多才重新學會發聲，變成顱顏殘疾，更痛苦的是，無法像以前一樣開口暢聊人生。

  美食當前他無法享用，只能乾瞪眼，乖乖回去繼續灌食度日，那年他三十七歲，大兒子不過才幼稚園，後面的五年，因為容貌、因為不能交談，他走不出去，兒子也沒再笑過。

  後來有次蹓狗，他意外認識一名善心女鄰居，對方沒被他嚇跑，反而耐心聽他慢慢一字字「發聲」，如常人般與他互動。這給他很大鼓勵，他決定要重新振作，為自己、為兒子、也為所有病友。

  （自由時報記者黃美珠）

  For your information

  TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

  1. handicap n. 妨礙；障礙 (fang2 ai4; zhang4 ai4) 例: Having only one leg is a handicap she’s had to deal with for over a decade now. (她應付了只有一條腿的障礙十幾年了。) 2. miserable adj. 痛苦的；悽慘的 (tong4 ku3 de5; qi1 can3 de5) 例: Becky had a miserable childhood. (碧綺的童年很悽慘。) 3. determination n. 決心 (jue2 xin1) 例: With drive and determination you can accomplish just about anything. (只要有動力與決心，幾乎什麼都能實現。)
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