That night, half of Taiwan fell in darkness. While he was repairing a cable, electricity suddenly came through. He was knocked to the ground by the high voltage, and both of his hands were blown open.

Both arms gone

Lin, in his thirties, was a contracted technician for the Taiwan Power Company. On the day the earthquake struck, he was assigned to repair a cable. All of a sudden, electricity surged through. He was knocked down from the utility pole to the ground, and both of his hands were blown wide open like popcorn.

"At first, the hospital changed medicine only twice a day. Finally the flesh became rotten and pus was flowing out. I asked the surgeon what I should do. He told me both arms would have to be amputated. My heart sank. What would I do without my arms?"

Lin was transferred to another hospital and was finally allowed to keep half of each arm. He explained that if the doctors had treated him promptly, it would have been unnecessary to cut off his arms. Now he only has the portions above the elbow. "I don't blame the surgeons at that hospital, since there were too many wounded people at that time. They were completely bogged down with work."

In order to reduce the burden on his family, Lin tried very hard to overcome the difficulties of daily life and get used to his artificial arms. "It's no use to complain about what has happened. I have to live on. Too much anxiety might beat me and drag my whole family to hell."

Tzu Chi volunteers visited him after the earthquake. They thought he might be depressed, but instead he welcomed them with a strong, cheerful attitude. "People who endure what he did are usually dismayed and pessimistic, but we didn't find those negative emotions in him. We admire him very much. He set up a good example for us to follow."

Still mentally strong

Lin's mother is upset and very much worried about him since he still does not have any child and must depend on artificial limbs for the rest of his life. "How could this happen to such a nice young man? It hurts me so much just to think of it." Lin consoles his mother and tells her not to worry too much. "These two artificial arms are very convenient-I can use them as weapons when I meet hoodlums!"

Lin used to be the leader of the rescue association in Nantou County, but he regrets that from now on he won't be able to go out to rescue people. "There was once a serious mudslide in the mountains caused by heavy rainfall. We rushed to three or four places to rescue people." He wore a proud expression on his face when he talked about his past courage. His wife can still go on his behalf, since she is also a member of the rescue association. Because of their enthusiasm in helping people, they were awarded a plaque of commendation by the government of Nantou County.

Now Lin and his wife make a living by selling plums and watermelon seeds. Since they are staying in a relative's house for the time being, their life is not as convenient and comfortable as it was before. But they feel very happy because they can spend more time together and they love each other more dearly.

Although it is not very convenient for Lin to eat, take a shower, etc., with his artificial arms, he still tries to do those things himself. He doesn't want to bother his wife or anyone else. Mrs. Lin explains that whenever she wants to give him a hand, he remarks that he does not want to bother others while he still has a pair of hands, even artificial ones. "In his heart, he doesn't have the slightest feeling of being disabled."