High school math teacher Hung Hsi-tsung (
The work has allowed Hung to many aspects of life and society and has taught him to be more optimistic in life, he said.
The Red Cross Society in Taiwan yesterday celebrated the anniversary of its founding by holding an award ceremony in recognition of the efforts of long-time volunteers like Hung.
"I started volunteering at the age of 19," Hung said. "It was on a whim because I saw that Red Cross was giving training on first aid and I wanted to learn how to do it."
Hung, now 39, has an eight-year-old son who is also eager to learn first aid like his father.
Hung recalled an incident that has had the greatest impact on him in his 20 years of volunteer work. That was when he helped take care of an 80-year-old man and his wife.
The couple was eager to talk to him when he arrived because their sons and daughters, about Hung's age were all grown-up, highly educated and had respectable jobs, but never had time to visit.
"That affected the way I treat my family," Hung said. "I volunteer after work every day, but I treasure the time I spend with my family. And they in turn are very supportive of my volunteer work."
Hung was also involved in the 921 earthquake rescue work.
"It was very stressful. The smell of decay was in the air," Hung said. "But then we found two survivors in the rubble , and the feeling was indescribable."
Another volunteer ,Weng Yen-nan (
Still, Weng was persuaded to recount a little about her life. She said it all started when she wanted to learn how to swim.
"The swimming lessons were given by Red Cross volunteers free of charge," Weng said. "I was struck by how hard and dedicated they were although they did not get any pay at all."
Weng then underwent training and became a certified lifeguard. She is now involved in lifesaving and helps locate bodies in water.
"When I save somebody from drowning, I feel good. Most of [the people] we've helped are students, who, after diving into rivers, had difficulty swimming back to shore," Weng said. "I feel relieved for their parents when I pull them out of the water.
Weng said she was scared the first time she helped the Taipei Fire Bureau locate a body in water.
"We were looking for a body from a Dragon Boat race," Weng said. "The water was murky and we couldn't see a thing. We could only grope around with our hands."
Although she did not find the body that time, Weng said that she stopped being afraid afterwards.
Three years ago Weng was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, but that did not stop her from continuing to do volunteer work.
Chen Charng-ven (
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese