A peach farmer in Hsinchu County has been raising five kids as a single father despite having only one functioning arm.
Twenty years ago, Wuhui Dali’s right arm was permanently paralyzed after a motorcycle accident, but despite the challenges the accident left him with, he wants to be a positive example for his children.
He always tells his children that no matter what difficulties they face in life, they must stand up to the challenge and not run away from it, the 41-year-old Atayal farmer said.
Photo courtesy of Lin Ching-hua via CNA
Wuhui works long days at his farm in the Atayal community of Thyakan in Hsinchu’s Jianshih Township (尖石), which is 1,500m above sea level in the mountains.
“Thyakan is close to the heavens, and I want my ancestors who are up there looking down on me to see that I am living each day to the fullest,” he said.
A month before he was to finish his mandatory military service, Wuhui was on a motorcycle ride with friends when he crashed his bike and severed five nerves in his right arm, leaving it paralyzed, he said.
Being a positive person, he accepted his condition and returned to his community to farm, he said.
“We have a large farm that we grow cabbage and peaches on. It was tough at first to get used to doing the farm work with only one arm,” he said.
After months of persistence, Wuhui found he was able to work well with his left arm, and his condition was no longer a hindrance for him, he said.
“During that time, I was also taking care of my parents, and then the kids were born, one after another. I realized I had a great responsibility to take care of this family,” he said.
After he separated from the mother of his children, he found himself not only caring for the children, but also running the farm — including harvesting and selling the produce, Wuhui said, adding that he often sleeps only three or four hours per night.
To sell his produce, Wuhui generally relies on word of mouth from regular customers, as well as the occasional marketing events organized by the community office, he said.
No matter how hard life can be, he remains happy because of his children, he said.
“I tell them, one day when they have families of their own, they will have to face life like their dad did — taking on whatever comes their way,” he said.
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