During her sermons in the past month, Master Cheng Yen has often mentioned a man whose feet were accidentally cut off by an electric lawn mower. When he was being rushed to Tzu Chi Hospital, his feet were both preserved in a bag of ice. When people hear this story, their facial expressions change as if they can feel the pain. However, the happy conclusion to Master Cheng Yen's story is that the patient's feet were sewn back on by doctors at Tzu Chi Hospital.

Both Feet Severed

Lo Te-lai recalls that on the afternoon of April 28, he was mowing grass at a betel nut plantation in Juisui when the blade suddenly flew out and cut off both his feet. In a split second, his feet were both completely severed under the ankle. He thought to himself that he was done for.

Fortunately, his boss was a very experienced man. He tied up Lo's feet to stop the bleeding and sent him from Juisui to a hospital at Fenglin, where he received a transfusion of blood. Lo was quite lucid on his way to Tzu Chi Hospital. It usually takes about one hour to drive from Fenglin to Hualien, but it only took 20 minutes to rush him there by ambulance. In the ambulance, they kept calling the hospital , and they even notified his daughter, who lived in Hualien.

Kuang Shih-tung, Lo's attending physician, said that if a patient's limb is crushed, the operation time is prolonged and might result in the patient's losing a great deal of blood. Even if the surgery succeeds, the patient might still die on the operating table. Luckily, the wounds on Lo's feet were cleanly cut, and only the bone of his right foot was a little soiled.

Because the patient's main blood vessels had all been severed and he had lost a lot of blood, two medical teams worked concurrently against time to irrigate and sterilize his cuts and to reconnect his nerves, veins, arteries and ligaments. Dr. Chen Ying-ho, osteopath, said that Lo was really lucky to have these two medical teams operate on him at the same time. If he convalesced well, the functions of the nerves in his lower extremities would be restored within two to three months.

A Successful Operation

Lo's daughter has been working as a nurse for ten years. However, when she first saw her father's situation at Tzu Chi Hospital, she felt her skin crawl. She remembered that about four or five years ago, a sixteen-year-old man whose right arm had been severed by a huge piece of marble was sent to the emergency room at the hospital where she worked. She accompanied him, along with his severed arm, on the plane from Hualien to Taipei. They were caught in a traffic jam in Taipei. When the doctor said that it was too late and there was nothing he could do, she really didn't know what to say to the young man looked when he heard the doctor's statement.

"Dad had worked hard his whole life, and it was just about time for him to enjoy himself. Fortunately, he didn't become handicapped or lose his life. We only hope that he can still take a walk in his garden when he gets old." While talking to us, Miss Lo packed her father's feet with hot towels and removed the peeling scabs.

After receiving treatment for almost a month, Lo's complexion appeared to be very good, the swelling of his left foot had subsided, and the stitches had been removed as well. His right foot was still stabilized with a metal plate and screws. It would take about another month for him to be discharged from the hospital.

Timely, Local Medical Treatment

Master Cheng Yen established Tzu Chi Hospital with the aim of improving the standards of medical care in Eastern Taiwan. Especially when a serious emergency occurs, patients can get timely, appropriate medical treatment within their local area. You cannot exchange life for a thousand pieces of gold. Fortunately, Lo Te-lai's severe accident was not a tragedy for his family. Tzu Chi Hospital thus performed the most important function of medical care.

First-Aid Tips

Q: When a limb is severed like this, what should we do before rushing to a hospital?

A: Human body tissues have a certain osmotic pressure, whose value is equal to that of saline water. When an extremity is accidentally severed, never place the stump in tap water, or else the stump will be damaged due to the difference of osmotic ressures. In case saline water is unavailable at that moment, you can first put the stump in a plastic bag and then load the bag into another bag filled with ice and water. Preserve the stump at a low temperature and take it to a hospital as quickly as possible.

Q: How do you stop the wound from bleeding?