"Penguins are so lovely! They can swim and do calisthenics too!" With the help of many kind-hearted people, seven-year-old Ankuchi finally realized his dream.

The first time I met Ankuchi, I was attracted to him by his big rolling eyes and the upturned corners of his mouth.

There was yet one more thing which caught my attention--a long scar on the back of his head which extends from the top of his head to his neck. If you keep staring at the scar, he will point his fingers at his head and say, "There are worms in my brain!"

"Worms"

Liu Chung-chi is an aborigine boy who lives in Hsincheng Village, Hualien, eastern Taiwan. His friends call him by his aboriginal name, "Ankuchi." Like other children, the seven-year-old likes to listen to stories, play with his friends, and spend time with his mother.

In June 2000, the vigorous boy began to experience some strange symptoms. He would blink his eyes involuntarily, get weak and lethargic, and suffer from headaches and lack of appetite. These symptoms grew worse day by day until at last even drinking water would cause him to vomit.

Ankuchi's mother, Mrs. Liu, took him to see an ophthalmologist. The doctor found that it was more than an eye problem and suggested that he be examined in a bigger hospital. After they got home, Ankuchi's aunt learned of the situation and was very worried. She urged his mother to take him to a neurosurgery department for a CT (computerized tomography) scan.

The result of the test conducted at the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital came as a big shock to Mrs. Liu--there was a tumor in her boy's brain! What was more, the doctor ordered that he have an operation immediately to remove it.

"How did he get such a disease? He's so little. Will he be able to sustain the operation? What's the success rate of the surgery?" After experiencing mood swings from agitation to depression to hopefulness, she signed the consent form for the surgery.

Doctor Cheng Jung-lung of the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital said that the tumor in Ankuchi's brain was located between an artery and a vein. After a biopsy, the doctor diagnosed the tumor as an immature teratoma. Because it was located in an unusual place, it could not be entirely removed by surgery. Even if part of it was taken out, the remaining part would still grow back. So the only thing doctors could do was to remove the blood clots in Ankuchi's brain to make him feel more comfortable.

Ankuchi blinked his big eyes. Full of questions about the illness afflicting him, he kept asking his mother, "How did I get a disease like this?"

"There are worms in your head. The doctor will take them out for you."

A hairless mother

Seeing her child suffer, Mrs. Liu suffered even more. "My heart is empty. I'm lost and don't know what I should do." Yet no matter how sad she was, she always faced her child with a smile.

When Ankuchi's grandmother saw how mentally and physically spent Mrs. Liu was at the hospital, she insisted that she go home to rest. Mrs. Liu left the hospital, but her heart still lingered behind with her child in the hospital bed. She had no idea how she got to the parking lot or how she rode her motorcycle out of the hospital compound. She only vaguely remembered that the street she was driving on was blazing with lights, and that it was as empty as her heart.

All of a sudden she felt an enormous pain, as if she had received an electric shock. Then there was a commotion and she heard people cry, "Someone had a car accident! Someone had a car accident!" A moment after she regained consciousness, she realized that she was covered with blood.

The doctor suggested that she be hospitalized, but she decided against it. "If I were hospitalized, who would take care of my child? He needs me. No matter how much pain I have, I must grit my teeth and stay by his side." She miraculously recovered, perhaps due to her strong willpower.

Later, Ankuchi had another operation in which a large part of the tumor in his head was removed. He also continued to receive chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Every time he had a treatment, he would roll and toss in bed, vomit and groan with pain. At times like this, there was nothing Mrs. Liu could do but hold back the tears in her eyes and embrace him tightly in her arms.

After the fourth chemotherapy treatment, Ankuchi's hair began to fall out. Whenever he found that he was losing his hair, he would ask his mother, "Mommy, why is my hair falling out again?" "Because you're getting shots--that's why you're losing your hair," she always explained patiently.

Once when he was taking a shower, a tuft of hair flowed down his head along with the running water. He burst into tears this time. "Mommy, my hair is falling out again." Except for crying with her child, Mrs. Liu could not say a word.

Not long afterwards, Ankuchi contracted hydrocephalus and fell into a coma which lasted for three days. Waiting anxiously outside the intensive care unit, Mrs. Liu thought of how her boy had cried for the loss of his hair. Tears welled up in her eyes and her heart tightened. She went to the hospital barbershop.

When Ankuchi woke up from his coma and saw his mother, he burst into laughter. "Mommy's hair is gone. How ugly you look this way! Ha-ha-ha!" It turned out that Mrs. Liu had gone to the barbershop to have her head shaved. She looked just like her boy now. Hearing her son's laughter, Mrs. Liu began to giggle too. Since then, Ankuchi has never talked about his hair.

Saying thanks with his thumb

During the ten months after he fell ill, Ankuchi underwent three operations and four chemotherapy treatments. Seeing how his mother painstakingly cared for him day and night, he confidently assured her of his recovery. "I'll get well again. When I grow up, I'll be a big boss and make a lot of money for Mommy."

He expressed his gratitude not only to his mother, but to all those who took care of him in the hospital. Every time he saw his attending physician, Dr. Tomor Harnod, he would stretch out his small hand to hold the doctor's big hand, even though he was feeling extremely uncomfortable. He would also bend his thumb in a gesture that said "thank you" to the doctor.

He also comforted his wardmates. One day a nine-year-old boy with a tumor in his stomach cried bitterly because he could not stand the pain. Ankuchi immediately consoled him by saying, "Don't cry, big brother!"

King penguins

Lying on his hospital bed, what Ankuchi liked to do most was watch "Tzu Chi Theater" on the Tzu Chi TV channel. Sometimes he even explained the plots of the plays to his mother.

Another TV program that took his fancy was "Healthy Vegetarian Diet." Every time the program was broadcast, he made it a point to ask his mother to watch it, because it had to do with the fulfillment of his dream.

It turned out that when Ankuchi was first hospitalized, his mother was receiving training to become a Class C cook. At that time he expressed his wish to visit the Taipei Zoo, but his mother told him, "We can't afford to pay for the trip."

Ankuchi's father worked at a marble factory. With four children to raise, the breadwinner of the family was under a lot of financial pressure. Looking at Ankuchi's downcast eyes, Mrs. Liu felt sorry for him. A moment later, something occurred to her. "If I pass the training and become a cook, I'll get NT$10,000 [US$333] a month. Then we'll have the money to go to the zoo."

What his mother said rekindled his hope. Although he had no idea what a Class C cook's license was, he knew that as long as his mother could master her cooking skills, he would be able to visit the Taipei Zoo. So whenever he saw a cooking show on TV, he asked his mother to come and watch it, because here was a chance for him to see king penguins and koalas!

Fulfilling his dream

This March, Ankuchi had his third operation. Finding that the cancerous cells in his head were still alive, the doctor put him on chemotherapy again. After chemotherapy and radiation treatment, the tumor in his brain was reduced to half its original size.

Although the treatment seemed to take effect, the doctor still said, "It can only help prolong his life... The situation is not completely hopeless either. There are still a lot of things that we don't know in the field of medical science." Then he said softly to Mrs. Liu, "Cherish the time you spend with your child."

She nodded, looking forlorn. Then something came to her mind. "I must take Ankuchi to the Taipei Zoo," she said resolutely.

When Ankuchi's wish to visit the zoo was made public, the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital launched a drive to fulfill the boy's dream.

The drive organizers contacted the Taipei city government and obtained its promise to give full support for the trip. Far Eastern Air Transport also agreed to provide round-trip plane tickets from Hualien to Taipei. Doctor Wang Po-chun of the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital and Nurse Lin Hsiao-ping even volunteered to accompany Ankuchi and his family to the zoo so that he could be well cared for during the journey.

On April 6, Mrs. Liu got up before daybreak and started packing for the trip. She was happy and nervous. Afraid that her family might oversleep and miss the airplane, she woke them all up at the crack of dawn.

When the airplane landed at the Taipei airport, Ankuchi rushed towards the exit, where Tzu Chi volunteers were waiting for them. They put a beautiful wreath around his neck and gave him a big plane model.

On their arrival at the Taipei Zoo, Mrs. Liu carried Ankuchi on her back and walked to the Penguin Hall. The penguins there immediately riveted Ankuchi's attention. "Penguins are so lovely," he said, beaming with joy. "They can swim and do calisthenics too!"

After they came out of the Penguin Hall, Dr. Wang bought a toy king penguin for Ankuchi so that when they were back in Hualien, the boy could look at the toy penguin and think back on that happy, memorable journey.

Although the animals in the zoo were interesting to look at, the party had to stop for rest often because Ankuchi got tired very easily. Happily, Tzu Chi volunteer Ching-chih was with them. Whenever Ankuchi felt tired, he asked Auntie Ching-chih for some candy. After the refreshments and some rest, he was rejuvenated. He'd then play a finger-guessing game with his mother and Tzu Chi volunteers.

Carefree forever

When we were back in Hualien, Ankuchi said to me on the way to his home, "My eyes are very big, but your eyes are very small." "Why are my eyes so small?" I asked him. "Because you live in heaven and are closer to the sun, so small eyes will do for you," he answered.

After hearing what he said, I was speechless for a moment. His big bright eyes seemed to be able to see through a man's heart. I looked at him and prayed silently that this big-eyed bodhisattva will always be happy and carefree.