“Being immobilized is not the same as being dead,” Tsai Pin-chieh (蔡品捷) said on Saturday, discussing his plans to return to Hualien County’s Sincheng Junior High School on Tuesday next week to attend its graduation ceremony.
The 15-year-old was forced to give up normal school activities after he was left a quadriplegic by an accident last year.
Tsai, who is from Kangle Village (康樂) in Sincheng Township (新城), was injured after diving into the Sanchan River (三棧溪).
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Since his accident, Tsai said he has been confined to a bed and his teachers have taken turns visiting him and helping him with his lessons.
His family is not well off, and his parents have spent a lot of money trying to improve Tsai’s condition. His father, Tsai Chih-hao (蔡志豪), quit his job to become his son’s full-time caregiver, while his three younger brothers have also sacrificed some of their time to help take care of him.
Tsai Pin-chieh said that he wanted to pursue a career in information technology to help his family financially and to set a good example as the eldest son.
He has worked to learn how to use an eye-tracking computer keyboard and a sip-and-puff (SNP) input device that allows him to operate a computer in place of a mouse. He has also learned how to make videos, restore images and create simple Web sites.
He spent two months editing a five-minute video presentation of his feelings and experiences over the past two years as part of his junior-high-school graduation activities.
“I hope that the video will give everyone who is concerned about me a pleasant surprise,” Tsai Pin-chieh said.
He said he also hoped that the video would prove that despite his immobility, he is still “of use” to his family and society.
He said he has begun working on Internet projects to help supplement his family’s income.
Tsai Chih-hao said he was glad that his eldest son has faced such a tragedy with courage and optimism, adding that though there were bound to be many difficulties in life, as long as the family stuck together, they would triumph over all obstacles.
His wife, Chen Li-li (陳麗莉), said she wanted to thank everyone who has helped her son and the family, adding that Tsai Pin-chieh’s condition may one day improve. There has been a slight reaction in one of his palms and he could make small grabbing motions, she said.
“We believe his condition could improve with time, which has been a great encouragement to the entire family,” Chen said.
Sincheng Junior High School head of consultation Lin Hsiu-ying (林秀英) said the school had designed a diverse course schedule to suit Tsai Pin-chieh’s needs and interests and recently helped him complete his application to attend Siwei Senior High School.
“We hope Tsai Pin-chieh can fulfill his dreams of going to college and earning a degree,” Lin said.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS