Before Kim Sung Chul became ill, he was as proud and confident as most young people. He believed that if he worked his best, he could conquer anything. But when he fell ill and had to rely on other people's help, he finally realized that there were times when people were simply powerless.

Love from people, whether he knew them or not, poured in to support him throughout his illness and encouraged him to carry on.

Now he wants to grasp and experience every moment of his life.

At Mass in the large chapel, Kim Sung Chul was talking into a microphone, leading the faithful in their responses to the priest's prayers.

The chapel on the fifth floor of St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, was filled with patients holding their IVs, sitting in wheelchairs, or leaning on canes. The place was so fully packed with patients and their families that no more people could get in.

The temperature was freezing outdoors, but the chapel was filled with warmth. People were linked together with God in this dignified religious ceremony. Sung Chul was not tormented by his illness anymore, because he had found strength in his faith, and furthermore he was spreading the light of love and hope to other suffering people so their hearts could find a restful shelter.

Family love is invaluable

When I became ill and needed other people's help, I then realized that there were times when people were simply powerless.
　

It was an extremely cold day. The three of us--an interpreter, a photographer and I--finally found Sung Chul on a side street as we went to meet with him for an interview. He had been volunteering at St. Mary's Hospital. He looked healthy, so healthy that it seemed as if those days when he wept for his failing health had been completely left behind.

The story all started with a car accident. When he was being treated for his injuries at St. Mary's, the doctor found that his blood could not coagulate. He thought that the problem wasn't very serious and that it was perhaps caused by overworking. "I was working in a publishing company and I had to carry heavy stuff, so I often felt pain in my back and my joints..."

Then he went to a major hospital for more tests, and it was confirmed that he was suffering from chronic leukemia. His parents almost fainted when they heard the news.

They didn't know what to do, but they still had to face it. Sung Chul's father, Kwang Soo, said that he was willing to give up anything to save his son!

When Kwang Soo was young, he left the countryside to work as the manager of a housing complex in Seoul. After working for many years, he finally saved some money and, along with a bank loan, bought a house. However, he had to sell it to pay his son's medical bills.

"We used to live in a big house, but now we're in a 'basement,'" said Kim's mother, Park Mo Do. Actually, it was not a basement, but a small apartment unit on the third floor. There was a bathroom between two bedrooms. The living room was so small that one had to sit on the floor, and a space was allotted for making meals. The fridge stood in a corner of the apartment. If one wanted to open the fridge, the bathroom or the bedroom doors, a person sitting in the living room had to move over to make it possible.

"We rent this place; we don't have enough money to buy our own," said Sung Chul slowly. "When I was in the hospital, our family had to pay the medical bills every week, and that wasn't cheap." He saw the bill once, and the figure was very painful to him.

It was a tough period. Mrs. Kim had to endure pain in her hipbone while managing a small eatery every day to support them. She didn't even dare to close it for a day. "It was during the financial crisis and Sung Chul was sick. Our lives were hard..."

"My mom was pretty weak physically," said Sung Chul, "but she still had to manage her eatery. I feel bad just thinking of it.”

Their plight stirred up love from their relatives. One of Sung Chul's cousins married late and had hoped for a child, but the hope had never come true. She wasn't rich, but she had saved some money to pay for reproductive services. Seeing the plight of the Kim family, she gave the money to them and gave up her dream of having a baby.

The gentle Mrs. Kim recalled with a wry smile, "I cried for two days when I got the money. The sum wasn't very big, but it was priceless to me."

Mrs. Kim prayed for the niece every day because she had nothing with which to pay back her kindness. But unexpectedly, the niece later became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby. The Kim family was delighted to hear the news.

Believing in a better tomorrow

Many people encouraged me, and I also thought positively so I could overcome the pain and have hope for tomorrow.
　

In high school, Sung Chul had competed in judo, and he was always very proud of his health. He believed he could conquer anything. But when he became sick and needed other people to help him, he realized that there were times when people were simply powerless.

The leukemia would be terminal if left untreated, so he was treated with chemotherapy. With constant torment to his body and mind from the therapy, Sung Chul often felt powerless.

He had no appetite for nearly six months. A bite of food was enough to make him vomit. He received nutrients intravenously to sustain his basic physical functions, but his weight dropped from 80 to 50 kilograms (176 to 110 pounds). He moved his hand on his arm to simulate the flow of nutrition into his arm, and he said with a sigh, "I couldn't even enjoy my favorite kimchi."

He would watch the cooking shows on TV in the hospital every day, and he would think about what he could eat the next day and what he liked to eat. He also forced himself to eat. He would close his mouth after each bite to force back the urge to vomit. Unfortunately, he often vomited when he took the second bite.

When he was sick, he was so weak that he had to lie in bed every day, so his attending doctor nicknamed him "the Sleeping Prince." Whenever the doctor did his rounds, he would jokingly say, "Who's going to wake up the prince?"

Spring arrived, and Sung Chul could see cherry blossoms outside the window. He was determined to see the flowers when he was discharged.

Once in a while a patient would die in the wards, and Mrs. Kim wept every day because she feared her son would die unexpectedly. The doctor at St. Mary's Hospital once advised that he have a bone marrow transplant. However, they couldn't find a suitable donor among Sung Chul's relatives, so they sought help from bone marrow banks.

There was good news from the Korean and the Japanese bone marrow banks, but for some reason the transplants could not be carried out. Then on January 28, 2000, they applied to the Tzu Chi Marrow Donor Registry. Four months later, they received the good news that a match had been found in Taiwan and the donor was willing to help out. Sung Chul's mother got new hope that her son would be saved.

On August 29, Sung Chul underwent the transplant procedure, but he encountered complications: his red blood cell count dropped, and his immune system wasn't working. To save his life, the hospital contacted Tzu Chi to see if a transplant of the donor's lymphocytes was possible. Unexpectedly, the donor kindly agreed again.

"The donor didn't know us, and it was rare that a donor would agree to a second transplant." Mrs. Kim was grateful to this foreign donor's unselfish contribution.

After the second transplant Sung Chul's immune system started working, and three months later he was discharged from the hospital. He could finally bid farewell to the hospital bed.

Recalling the tormenting past, Sung Chul always believed that tomorrow would be better. He said, "Many people encouraged me and I had to think positively. And now, I've made it!"

Helping other people

I was frightened and anxious when I was sick. After I recovered, I started helping other people.
　

Sung Chul was 27 years old when he received the transplant. After six years of recuperation, he looked so healthy that it was hard to believe that he was once a leukemia patient.

He said with a laugh, "When I told other patients of my illness, they all thought I was kidding!"

"I was frightened and anxious while I was sick, because I didn't know why I had it. After I had recovered with help from other people, I believed I should help other people."

Sung Chul was not a Catholic, but his Catholic friends did their best to help him. They gave him the strength of faith while he was ill. After he became well, he also wanted to help other people with this power. He volunteered in the hospital. He assisted the priest at Mass, and he counseled patients with his own experiences. When he had time in the evening, he met regularly with other discharged patients.

During their meetings, they encouraged the donation of platelets. Sung Chul observed that bone marrow donation was unpopular in Korea, but platelet donation was acceptable among the public and had helped many people.

"Sung Chul received a lot of help when he was sick and he was cured by love, so he has to pay back the love when he is healthy." Mrs. Kim also wanted to become a volunteer. She added, "To think that a stranger could help us like that! If possible, I want to do the same."

For Sung Chul's health, his father quit his 50-year smoking habit, and Sung Chul's brother, Seng Tak, has also quit smoking.

Seng Tak, 32, is not married and doesn't like any kind of nightlife. "When my brother was sick, I didn't feel like going out. It's good to volunteer with my family and to help other people with the strength of religion."

The religion gives the Kim family a chance to help, and it has also given Sung Chul a wife. He had never thought about getting married, but when he was volunteering in the hospital, his sincerity won Choi En Sil's heart. She said, "When we were volunteering, I felt he was loving and kind, so I believed he was reliable."

In October 2005, Sung Chul and En Sil got married. Mrs. Kim likes her daughter-in-law. "She's kind, caring, and understanding, and she likes to help other people."

Sung Chul now works for a famous hi-tech company and has won the hearts of his co-workers. "Whenever I have to return to the hospital for a checkup, my boss always agrees to it right away. I'm very lucky."

"Sung Chul is now healthy and married. I feel very blessed," said Mrs. Kim. She has closed down her eatery. An operation on her hipbone gave her a deeper understanding about health: "We don't have to be very rich; having a healthy body is the most important thing."

Sung Chul's father has retired. He feels that he has no worries because their family life is back to normal and everyone is together. "As long as Sung Chul is healthy, I can have peace of mind. All the past suffering has gone."　

The Kim family is quite curious as to whether the donor in Taiwan could possibly be related to them. Could their ancestors belong to the same family tree? They think about the lifesaver constantly and hope to meet him someday. However, Sung Chul has held his current job for just two years. He looks forward to the chance of meeting the donor in the future when his financial situation improves.

In the chapel, the prayers are sometimes quiet and sometimes there is singing with the priest and Sung Chul. The place is serene and solemn.

When Kim counsels other patients, he encounters some who die and also those who become positive and try to help other people. He tries to experience every moment of his life. "You can't control life. It may disappear suddenly. I was once ill, so now I must cherish it."