A car accident four years ago changed Lee Hui-yi’s (李蕙伊) life entirely, but with the love and support of her family, she was able to leave the past behind and look bravely to the future.
Then a 26-year-old graduate student of creative design at the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Lee was driving home after class when she was hit by a car driven by former Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Jung-wei’s (張榮味) driver, surnamed Huang (黃).
Lee was in a coma for three months, and when she regained consciousness, she was told that she was paralyzed from the chest down.
Photo: Liu Hsiao-hsin, Taipei Times
Lee had given birth to a boy three months before the accident, and she found it hard having to rely on others for everything.
She said that she attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on drugs.
“My actions stunned my family,” Lee said, adding that her husband quit his job in the military to stay by her side and care for her.
This, more than anything else, moved her to finally decide to embrace life and face the future.
After attending an event hosted by the LOHO Socks Tourism Factory by the Changhua County Spinal Injuries Association, Lee learned how to darn socks into little dolls.
She found the activity a good outlet for her creativity, and she imbued each doll with unique characteristics.
She is able to finish one doll in five hours, she said.
Lee said that when she picks her son up at the kindergarten, he always finds the ramps for her and helps push her wheelchair to the car.
“They are the main reason why I am able to see life in a positive light again,” Lee said, referring to her family.
LOHO Tourism Sock Factory manager Chiang Pei-chi (江珮斳) said that to help people with spinal injuries work from home, the factory provides all materials for free and pays the maker NT$250 to NT$300 for each completed doll.
“We hope our efforts can give these individuals a source of income, as well as a way to indulge in their creativity,” Chiang said.
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