Lai Yun-chu, now a fourth-year university student, contracted acute lymphoblastic leukemia as a high school student. During more than three years of treatment, Lai had to endure hair loss, vomiting and debilitating pain, but determined to “turn leukemia into love” and beat the disease by painting pictures. After completing treatment, Lai returned to school and was presented with a “Global Love of Lives Award” from the Chou, Ta-Kuan Cultural & Educational Foundation and, on Wednesday last week, a “Fervent Cancer Fighting Wish Scholarship.” Lai says she wants to use painting to depict her journey fighting leukemia as a way to encourage other patients, and plans to hold an exhibition of her works at the end of the year.
Lai, who graduates this year from Asia University’s Department of Creative Product Design, failed to recover from a persistent cold during her first year of high school, was hospitalized and diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Despite the hair loss, constant vomiting, pain from bone marrow aspiration and biopsies, breathing difficulties and even shock caused by chemotherapy, Lai resolved to defeat the disease.
She says that during the three years of treatment, when she wasn’t at hospital she was traveling to and from it. At hospital, she says she saw many child patients who succumbed to their diseases and thought to herself: “Next it could be me.” Lai says she resolved to accept her situation and make a full recovery. She says she has loved painting ever since she was a child, and turned to it during treatment, presenting her completed works to fellow patients. Lai painted everything from her “doll hairstyle” before the chemotherapy and her headscarf after her hair fell out to the numerous kinds of pills and capsules she had to take: all were used as subjects for her art.
Photo: CNA 照片：中央社
The foundation’s founder Chou Chin-hua says that after visiting cancer wards in 41 countries, Lai’s story is the most moving of all, and her willingness to share with others her difficulties suffered during treatment makes Lai a model of hope and strength through adversity. Chou says she hopes that Lai’s story will also allow others to more deeply appreciate how precious life is.
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
就讀大四的賴韻竹，高一時罹患「急性淋巴性白血病（血癌）」，長達三年多的治療過程，忍受掉髮、嘔吐、穿刺疼痛，但是她「畫癌為愛」堅強抗癌，並持續進行繪畫創作戰勝病魔重返校園，年初獲周大觀文教基金會頒發「全球熱愛生命獎章」，上週三又獲頒「抗癌圓夢助學金」，將把抗癌過程畫成繪本鼓勵病友，年底並將舉辦畫展。
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者陳建志
亞大創意商品設計系應屆畢業生賴韻竹，高一時感冒久未痊癒住院，確診為「急性淋巴性白血病」，開始三年多的抗癌歷程，忍受化療帶來不斷嘔吐、穿刺疼痛、呼吸困難，乃至休克等不適現象，但她選擇堅強以對戰勝病魔。
賴韻竹說，抗癌三年多「不是在醫院，就是在前往醫院的路上」，在醫院時看到許多病童離開世間，心裡想著：「下一個會不會是自己？」她仍決定「接受自己，好好治療」，她從小喜歡畫畫，治療期間經常拿起畫筆作畫，並將畫作送給病友，包括生病前留著娃娃頭，以及生病後化療掉髮綁頭巾，甚至是治療的各種藥丸、膠囊，都成為創作元素，用畫鼓勵自己和病友。
周大觀文教基金會創辦人周進華說，自己走過四十一個國家的癌症病房，賴韻竹的抗癌故事最讓她感動，以畫來表達抗癌過程的艱難，並願意走出來和大家分享，是挑戰極限活出希望的典範，希望藉此故事讓大家知道生命是難能可貴的。
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者陳建志
(自由時報記者陳建志)
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