While everyone held their breath and waited, Ling's voice continued through the microphone in accurate Mandarin, "The reason I came all the way from Singapore to Taiwan is to express my gratitude."

Suddenly came the sound of thunderous applause. Some people had reddened eyes, and some frequently wiped their tears. At the TIMA 2003 annual meeting in the international conference room at the Still Thoughts Hall in Hualien, Dr. Ling undoubtedly became the spotlight focus among more than 400 members. He was also a super "tear gas sprayer"--his touching story often moved people to tears.

A devout Christian, Dr. Ling has never been absent from TIMA free clinics. He is an excellent oral surgeon and a cancer patient as well.

"Four years ago when I came to Taiwan to attend an annual TIMA meeting for the first time, I only knew a few other doctors from Singapore. But this time I know many more friends. It's like coming back to a big family with many brothers and sisters."

"Mr. Kiasu"

Ling's ancestors came from Fuzhou, China, and he was born in Singapore. When he was 15, his Chinese education came to a halt when the Singaporean government implemented a policy that opposed Chinese education.

But now the Chinese market has grown so quickly that learning Chinese has become a must. In recent years, the Singaporean government has not only resumed Chinese language education, but it has even designated it as one of its national languages, along with English, Malay, and Tamil. Hence, Ling's 15-year-old daughter, Qiu-yue, speaks Chinese more fluently than Ling does.

After graduating from medical college, Ling practiced medicine in Singapore and taught at a local university. "Singapore is too small. You can walk from the east coast to the west within an hour," said Ling. "Not only is the place tiny, it also lacks natural resources. There are no minerals, no agriculture, not even basic drinking water."

Scarce in resources, Singapore competes for survival with two relatively strong neighboring countries--Malaysia and Indonesia--which has stimulated it to develop a strong will to win and to become the head of the "Four Tigers" [Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan] in Asia. The popular local cartoon character Mr. Kiasu--"Mr. Afraid-to-Lose"--vividly expresses the Singaporeans' must-win character.

Ling was also a typical Mr. Kiasu. "In the past, my objectives were to work hard to become a good doctor, to establish a successful career, and to make more money to provide my family with a better life."

After marrying a pharmacist, Tan Yan Xia, Ling led a happy family life with two daughters and two sons. As the father of four kids, Ling had fairly reasonable and acceptable ideas and expectations. His philosophy of life remained unchanged until he met Tzu Chi...

From heaven to hell

In 1999 a good friend, surgeon Feng Bao Xing, invited Ling to participate in a free clinic. Feng told him the free clinic would be held near Jakarta, Indonesia, by a Buddhist medical group called the Tzu Chi International Medical Association to treat poor patients who were mostly Muslims.

Ling thought it interesting that a Christian physician like him should join a Buddhist medical group to treat Muslim patients. Being open-minded, Ling unhesitatingly decided to go. After arranging time off, he flew to Indonesia with a couple of other doctors.

"We stayed at a five-star hotel in Jakarta City. It was luxurious and beautiful. There was a swimming pool and a green golf course outside," Ling recalled. "It was like heaven."

The next morning, they boarded a bus that ran on wide clean roads with nice buildings on both sides. After less than an hour, the wide roads became narrow pitted trails and the tall buildings turned into low shabby shacks. The bus kept going alongside a river.

"The river was filthy. On the banks, people built houses which were obviously illegal," Ling said. "Some people there were brushing their teeth, washing their faces, taking showers, or doing laundry in the river; some people even threw garbage and urinated in it."

Having grown up in the garden city of Singapore, Ling was truly stunned by what he saw. But what really frightened him was the venue where the free clinic would be held and the operation procedures that he would be required to follow.

The point of no return

The free clinic was held in a community center, not a hospital. The operating tables were made simply by piecing common tables together. The patients came in wearing casual clothes instead of operating gowns. And the most incredible thing was that there was not even running water. All the water had to be scooped up from a well and carried to the operating tables by volunteers.

"There wasn't enough light," Ling marveled. "Everything was makeshift and simple. It was the first time that I had ever conducted operations this way. I was scared and paid a lot of attention to sterilization procedures, in which I probably doubled the usual dosages."

Later, Ling learned that all the patients had recovered smoothly. He felt relieved and said to himself, "I wonder if Indonesians are more resistant to infection or inflammation."

From a five-star hotel to the dirty, illegal shacks built on the riverbanks, Ling described his first free clinic experience in Jakarta as "descending from heaven to hell." In accurate Chinese, he said that after seeing the sick, the suffering, the wounded, and the poor, he had passed the point of no return.

"Sakyamuni was the son of an Indian king. He lived happily in a palace and knew nothing about the illnesses and suffering in the world. One day he walked out of his palace and saw poverty, sickness, and death. He never returned to his normal life in the palace," said Ling. "He had walked out and could never return again."

From then on, Ling became a devoted TIMA member in Singapore. For more than three years now, whenever there are Tzu Chi free clinics, he is never absent. Whether in Indonesia, the Philippines, or elsewhere, he is always there. As he participated more frequently, he became more firm internally, regardless of how primitive the operating environments were. This was because he believed that God, Buddha, and Allah would all bless the TIMA members.

"This person doesn't eat"

"Volunteers bury themselves in washing and sterilizing equipment, and doctors wave about scissors and needles while sewing up wounds. They not only cure physical ailments, but also warm peoples' hearts." This describes a typical, busy surgical scene at the free clinics.

Free clinics in Indonesia and the Philippines usually last two to three days, with hundreds of medical professionals and thousands of patients attending. It takes only 20 minutes to fix a cleft lip, yet doctors are still too busy to eat.

One Chinese-Indonesian volunteer, Gao Bao-xin, reported her impression of Ling: "This person doesn't eat." Since there are many operations for both small tumors and cleft lips and patients need to fast before operating, Ling doesn't want to waste any time, not even for eating, so that more operations can be done. He takes no breaks and continues operating on the patients.

"During the operations, Dr. Ling doesn't even stop to drink water," said Cai Li Lin, chief coordinator of TIMA Singapore. "He tells the next patient to get ready when he is halfway done with his current operation. He doesn't waste any time at all." Reluctant to see Dr. Ling run the risk of dehydration, Cai often brought him a glass of water while he was operating and made him drink it through a straw.

Ling explained, "Many patients live far away. I want to finish the operations as soon as possible so they can go home early." After the free clinics are over, the exhausted Ling still tries to amuse other team members by blowing up safety gloves like balloons and singing Tzu Chi songs off-key, making the nurses and volunteers laugh aloud.

Why me?

In August 2002, Ling became sick after returning home from a Philippine free clinic. His eyeballs and his complexion turned yellow. After a thorough examination, it was confirmed that he had pancreatic cancer.

At that time, his wife, Yan Xia, was still under treatment for throat cancer. How could a nightmare like this befall him? Ling felt shocked and helpless. He kept asking himself, "Why me? There must be a mistake. This can't be true. I'm a doctor!" Fear, depression, and pain attacked him in ruthless torrents, pushing him to the lowest point. Yet he took great efforts to lift his battered spirits and hide his emotions from his mother, wife, and children. Alone, he fought desperately.

At last, except for his mother and youngest daughter, his wife and three older children found out and offered him their greatest support. Soon afterwards, coworkers, friends, and Tzu Chi members also heard about it. They all encouraged him and wished him a speedy recovery.

"Tzu Chi members told me that I had to get well, that Tzu Chi needed me and I still had a long way to go with Tzu Chi," Ling remembered gratefully. "They prayed for me, sang me songs, and gave me strength and courage."

The sincerity and love of the Tzu Chi members effectively calmed his nerves and helped bring back much needed peace and tranquility. He felt the warmth of their company. He no longer needed to single-handedly fight against his illness.

Surgery in Japan

At a friend's recommendation, Ling decided to fly to Japan for surgery and radiotherapy. At the end of September 2002, he and his wife arrived in Japan. Ling immediately checked into the National Cancer Center at the Tsukiji campus in Tokyo. His wife stayed temporarily in a hotel. Members of the Tzu Chi Japan branch came right away to help with shopping, running errands, interpreting, and other tasks. Nothing was left for him to worry about.

The operation was scheduled for October 2, 2002. Ling, who had operated on so many patients in the past, himself became the patient lying on the operating table this time. Tzu Chi volunteers thoughtfully accompanied his wife through the nine-and-a-half hour operation. From the recovery room to the intensive care unit to the regular ward, Tzu Chi members were always there.

"My wife counted a total of 22 tubes on my body," Ling described his pitiful situation in a helpless tone. "I was shifted and pulled daily to measure my weight." Within six weeks, his weight dropped from 76 to 60 kilograms [167*132 lbs].

In the past, Ling had to bear his patients' wails of pain. Now that he had become a patient himself, he realized what true pain was.

His path to recovery was slow, tedious, and difficult. The members of the Japan branch delivered food every day, encouraged Ling and his wife, rallied behind them, and gave them strength and great support. Master Cheng Yen also asked the Tzu Chi members to call and report on the daily situation.

Like a real celebrity

It was nice that some of Ling's neighbors and friends could help take care of their children while Ling and his wife were in Japan. "Neighbors came to tutor our kids, and a cardiologist came every Sunday and took them to church," remarked Mrs. Ling. Knowing that Ling and his wife missed his children, a friend bought four tickets and sent all the children to Japan to see their parents. Tzu Chi members went to pick them up at the airport and even took them to the Tokyo Disneyland during their stay in Japan.

"I'd like to return to Singapore together with my whole family," Ling requested his attending doctor. Though he was still weak, the doctor finally agreed to let him go after obtaining Ling's assurance that his medical colleagues in Singapore would continue to manage his infection. Before their return to Singapore, Tzu Chi members in Japan held a farewell party for him. Chang Hsiu-ming, CEO of the Japan branch, hoped Dr. Ling would recover from his illness soon so he could save more people.

Dr. Feng Bao Xing, a member of TIMA Singapore, flew to Japan to accompany the whole family home. Ling was exhausted by the five-hour flight, but his spirits were boosted upon seeing Changi Airport in Singapore. "I'm finally home."

After stepping out of the plane, a Tzu Chi volunteer who worked at the airport rolled a wheelchair up to him and exclaimed, "Welcome back!" To his surprise, Tzu Chi members had even put up "Welcome Home" posters and banners. They sang to him and brought flowers for him. Ling was moved to tears. "That day, I felt like a real celebrity," he said.

After Ling came back from Japan and had gotten some rest, Tzu Chi members in Singapore held a welcome-home party for him. All of his family members, coworkers, and friends were invited.

Everyone cried as Ling described his cancer and the treatment process. Yet all of them laughed as they listened to his faith and commitment in helping the needy. "That was a warm and unforgettable night," said Liu Ji Yu, CEO of the Tzu Chi Singapore branch.

Ling continued his treatments. In the first week of chemotherapy, he experienced many side effects such as nausea, loss of appetite, and fatigue. The second week, he gained some appetite and was less tired; the third and fourth week went even better. But this cycle of suffering would repeat every month.

"His patients all asked him to do operations on them when they found out he was back," said Mrs. Ling. "The nurses in the operating room would force him to rest and prepare food for him when he didn't have much appetite. We are very thankful to them."

Ling had a local tumor recurrence last July. But this time, he had more confidence to face it because he knew there were still many things he wanted to do in life.

A brave man

When Ling came to Taiwan for the first annual TIMA meeting four years ago, he asked Master Cheng Yen, "I am a Christian, so can I join Tzu Chi?" He was worried that his presence and participation would offend the Master.

The Master replied, "It makes no difference when doing good deeds. We have many followers of other religions in Tzu Chi." Ling was relieved to hear the Master's words.

In September 2003, he came to Taiwan again for the fourth annual TIMA meeting and presented a paper on Singapore's fight against SARS. He also shared with all the participants his own experience in fighting cancer. His words touched many medical volunteers from all over the world and won a standing ovation at the end.

Lots of people in the audience were moved to tears, including the two interpreters who were responsible for translating Ling's English speech into Chinese and Indonesian.

Ling says that he is a Christian, yet Tzu Chi people have accepted him, embraced him with open arms, and treated him as one of their members. In Tzu Chi, he learned a very important lesson in life--gaining unlimited joy through giving.

According to Ling, the love of Master Cheng Yen is the same as that of Jesus. They are both selfless, unlimited, and expect nothing in return. "I will continue to participate in the TIMA free clinics, push for the establishment of a Singapore free clinic center, and teach people the knowledge and skills to do first aid," stated Ling.

Enjoying the moonlight in front of the Still Thoughts Hall during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ling looked up at the moon that had just emerged from behind the dark clouds. He said that the most important task for him was to actively introduce Tzu Chi to Singapore in the future, for only Great Love can free people from the bondage of greed, anger, and delusion.

Master Cheng Yen praised him by saying that only people can promote the Way, not the other way around. Dr. Ling is truly a brave man. Hopefully, he will be able to take care of himself while still caring for his patients. With his perseverance, the Master believes he will overcome his illness and recover his health soon.

Bless him! Dr. Ling Sing Yew is not only a brave man, but also a great winner in life!