One year has already passed since the establishment of the Heart Lotus Ward palliative care unit in Tzu Chi Hospital. To this place filled with great wisdom, love and courage, we would like to say a few words of blessing and gratitude.

From the worldly point of view, a palliative care unit is a place where the lives of patients are irredeemable. Parting with everything they love, unable to obtain what they desire, plus feeling the pain of their illnesses, patients often experience unbearable suffering. Tzu Chi Hospital is devoted to providing medical care with extreme care and love, hoping to soothe the patients physically and support and comfort them spiritually. In particular, we hope they can have relieved and peaceful minds, like pure lotus flowers rising above the muck and mire of a swamp.

That is why we named this unit the "Heart Lotus Ward." Unlike ordinary wards, it is an area where treatment is humanitarian rather than technical and where patients receive "whole person care." Doctors and nurses there have no absolute authority. Instead, they face an unprecedented challenge to enter the hearts of the patients and to win their trust, so that they can help them to complete the final journey of their lives.

Members of the medical team have been doing a good job since the establishment of the ward in 1996. They treat patients as they would their own close relatives, speaking to them gently and helping to solve their problems. Team members often spend more than ten hours a day in the Heart Lotus Ward in order to keep an eye on the people under their care. When they go out on business, they phone back to check on the condition of the patients. Many people who have heard about this are deeply touched by the way staff members sincerely give of themselves.

The medical team members are models for carrying out humanized treatment. Their dedication far exceeds what is required by their professional duties. They are all so young, yet they have no fear of the atmosphere of death. Their hearts are pure and humble. They help people without expecting anything in return. They are like pure lotus flowers in the medical field.

Volunteers are indispensable helpers to the medical team. In Tzu Chi Hospital, you can see volunteers busily working in every corner. Their devotion has made Tzu Chi Hospital truly unique. In the Heart Lotus Ward, the long-term volunteers have an even heavier responsibility. Not only must they have the knowledge and skill to look after the terminally ill, but they also have to pay close attention to the emotional and personal needs of the patients.

The medical staff and patients are truly grateful for the silent contributions of the volunteers. With gentle, motherly hearts, they feed patients and help with other daily needs. They provide strong reassurance for the weary, saddened families of the patients. They also provide thoughtful services for the medical team members. In short, they work hard to make the Heart Lotus Ward a home-like place. We can relax whenever we see them walk around in the ward.

The Heart Lotus ward is the crossway of life. Here we can see the manifestation of great love. Here we can see a Pure Land of unselfish giving, emancipation and tranquillity.

In the last year, as the medical team has worked hard to spread loving care, there have been weariness and tears, but no one has any complaints or regrets. They hope to create an environment of love and reduce patients' discomfort, so that patients may live their last days with contentment and dignity. Finally, with the blessings of their families, they may peacefully leave their frail bodies and go on to the next stage of their life journeys. Although this work is not easy, we continue to do our best in the hope that we will meet again happily in a future life.

In this issue of the Tzu Chi Quarterly, we hope to show that Tzu Chi tries to respect the dignity of all human beings. We respect the needs of refugee children in war-torn countries, and we even respect the anxieties and concerns felt by student nurses as they look forward to their future careers.