Six years ago, right after Hsiao Ma-ling delivered her second child, the doctor announced she had vaginal cancer and would only survive for three months. She almost collapsed at the news, crying "Let me die!" Accompanied by her devoted husband, she walked languidly to the baby room to see her daughter for the first time. Leaning against the glass window, she saw her tiny baby in an incubator, struggling urgently for breath. The creature, born three months premature, weighed less than two kilograms [4.4 1b]. She should still have been safe inside of her mother, but she had chosen to face the challenge of the world and fight for survival.

"If a premature baby can do it, why can't I?" The newborn life stirred up her maternal instincts. "I don't want my daughter to grow up without her mother." At that moment, she determined, not only for herself but also for her family, to fight against death. The promise she made has lasted for over two thousand days up to now, even though she could have gone at any time.

Vowing to Stay Together

Ma-ling, now thirty-seven, was an attractive, dynamic, determined woman before she contracted cancer. Her big, shining eyes were like crystal, always dancing and alluring. She was born in a rich family that owned many seafood restaurants. Seventeen years ago, she made up her mind to marry Hsiao Chuan-wang, a poor but hardworking man. Chuan-wang, an orphan, was ten years older than Ma-ling and used to be a long-term employee in her family company.

With nothing but love and care for each other, the couple vowed to stay together forever regardless of illness and death. Living in a small rented house, Chuan-wang worked hard and made a fair income as a construction laborer, while Ma-ling, as she had hoped, stayed home as housewife. Two years later, they had their first son. They were satisfied and asked nothing more than that they all be happy and healthy.

However, this simple hope was almost smashed when the specter of death menacingly called Ma-ling. Her mother rushed back from the States and offered her two options: she could file for divorce and go to the States for better treatment, so that her husband could have a chance to marry another woman to take care of the family-or she could wait to die. To Ma-ling, the first choice was certainly out of the question, since her family came first in her life. She therefore decided to go hand in hand with her husband through the impending difficulties. Thinking back, Chuan-wang was grateful to her for giving him the chance to take care of her.

Sika

However, the torture had just begun. In the process of radiotherapy, she was told to stand on her hands five minutes per day, fifty days in a row. Feeling weak, she gritted her teeth and chanted Amitabha Buddha's name a thousand times whenever she thought she was about to quit. Her condition showed no improvement, so she tried Chinese herbal medicine as the last resort. It worked, but it produced numerous dark spots all over her body and face, which made her look more like a freak than a patient. People looked at her with apprehension and scorn. "I experienced so much of the dark side of human nature because of my appearance," she sighed. Even so, she accepted it willingly since the cancer was completely under control. Though she still thinks about her appearance, she now refers herself as a beautiful, spotted Formosan sika deer.

However, no sooner had she enjoyed the moment of regained health than she became diabetic. The disease quickly resulted in a series of complications. She lost vision in her left eye and her left leg had to be amputated. For six months, Ma-ling crawled on the ground until she was ready to put on an artificial limb. That meant that her favorite outdoor activities were getting further away from her.

Although Ma-ling was grateful for every precious moment of being alive, she had to endure her afflictions with extreme fortitude and tolerance. Allergic to analgesic drugs, she had up to eighteen operations and biopsies without any painkiller at all! In addition, the daily change of dressings on her wounds was inevitably excruciating. Chuan-wang said that when he applied the iodine tincture on her wounds, he would immediately fan it with a newspaper, trying to alleviate the pain. "Anyone else in her position would have howled, but she calmly endured it all the way through," he said with admiration.

Was she born with a peculiar body system? Or maybe she was granted some magical power that could insulate the nerves from the pain? Ma-ling said wholeheartedly, "The disease itself does produce one hundred percent physical pain, but it's all up to us whether or not we attach ourselves to it."

Thus, she chose not to cry out with the pain. She even made fun of it. Once after an operation, instead of groaning in pain, she shouted loudly, "I AM STARVING!" Her remark stunned all the physicians and nurses there. She often laughed that the radiotherapy treatments infused too much electrical energy, so that she easily became passionate and so sometimes had high blood pressure. Perhaps her optimistic attitude toward her tribulations erased the brutality of the treatments. Instead of suffering from the normal side effects of losing her hair or appetite, she actually gained weight. Most importantly, she is still alive.

"Oriental Invincibility"

Two years ago, while the family was taking a break from her illness and enjoying family life, it was discovered that Ma-ling's kidneys had failed and that she would have to undergo kidney dialysis three times a week. Recently, her health update added one more problem: angina, a kind of heart disease. "Well, my nickname is 'Oriental Invincibility,'" she teased herself. Feeling no spite or regret about her life, she said seriously, "It's all worthwhile because our family is still together."

In the hospital, what Ma-ling worried about most was neither the cancer nor the pain she suffered, but her two kids. Her older son, Cheng-hsien, then eight, lived temporarily with his teacher, while the newborn baby, I-ting, was taken care of by a babysitter. Although she could spend little time with them, she never failed to let them know that their mom always loved them.

Their love for each other has grown stronger. Cheng-hsien and even I-ting understand their mother's pain and are learning to look after her. One day, she was in the hospital for kidney dialysis as usual, and she was surprised to see her children show up. Without any permission from their parents, the young brother and sister had taken a taxi there with only enough money for a single trip. Explaining their daring behavior, Cheng-hsien said shyly, "We missed our mother and wanted to see her." Ma-ling said nothing, but only smiled with pride and warmth.

Instead of succumbing to tragedy, Ma-ling's household has grown with more love and laughter. Occasionally, Chuan-wang takes the family out. The couple rides a motorcycle, their only transportation, with skinny I-ting between them and poor, chubby Cheng-hsien peddling his bicycle behind.

Since Ma-ling finds outdoor activities difficult, Chuan-wang always escorts her wherever she goes. "I don't need a crutch," she said happily. "He is it." Chuan-wang laughed and seemed to enjoy this privilege.

A couple of weeks before our interview, Ma-ling had her big toe removed in her eighteenth operation. She had thought her only leg would also have to be totally amputated. After the operation, she was glad it was still intact. From then on, she decided to participate in charity work and set herself for others as an example of a cancer survivor. Though the family is still in debt, they refused to continue to receive charity donations. Instead, they have become Tzu Chi members and donate money to the foundation. "let us try," the couple insisted. "It is our turn to do good for others."