Artist Liao Jui-chin (廖瑞金), who uses his feet to paint, on Friday told his long-term girlfriend that he was ready to spend the rest of his life with her. The couple are to get married next Sunday.
The 36-year-old artist, who fell ill with meningitis at the age of three and lost the use of his arms, met his fiancee, Wu Fu-yu (吳芙妤), a 29-year-old graduate of National Taiwan Normal University, eight years ago at a table tennis competition.
Despite his disability, Liao played excellent table tennis with his feet, which caught Wu’s attention. The two then started seeing each other, and said that they enjoyed skating, playing chess and playing sports together.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
It soon became clear that they were meant for each other, said Hung Chin-fang (洪錦芳), a teacher at the children’s home in Pingtung County where Liao grew up.
Hung said the first time she met Wu she watched the couple together and realized how precious their love was.
Part of that is their uncanny ability to communicate, Hung said. Though Liao can only make hard-to-understand sounds when he tries to verbalize his thoughts, Wu has no trouble understanding him.
Hung said she contacted Wu’s family in the hope that they would give the couple some freedom and allow Liao time to prove his sincerity.
Hung has known Liao since he was 12, when she met him at the orphanage where she works. She said he was an ill-tempered child, who fought and got into trouble as he sought to express his anger and frustration.
However, Hung taught him to use his feet to paint, play sports and even fix bicycles, and after they realized he had a talent for art, Hung arranged for the budding artist to receive painting lessons from Hsu Wen-de (許文德).
Thanks to those lessons, Liao had made a name for himself by the time he was 18 and was later accepted as a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists.
Although Liao could not read or write, he managed to make a living and was able to take care of his mentally challenged brother by selling postcards and art with the help of the association.
“Love is patient, love is kind,” Liao said, citing his favorite passage from the Bible as an expression of his gratitude to Hung, whom he sees not only as his teacher, but also as a mother to him and Wu.
He also thanked Wu, saying that she had never given up on him and thanking her for being his soulmate and closest friend.
Though his mind is now focused on getting married, Liao has not forgotten his roots.
He has just donated two of his paintings to the Chinese Childrenhome and Shelter Association to help raise funds for children in need.
He said that in the future he would share his experiences to help guide other disabled persons to overcome misfortune and find the light in life.
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