Taipei, May 30 (CNA) Hundreds of victims of spinal injuries demonstrated their enormous perseverance and shared their stories of overcoming adversity at a charity carnival Saturday.
The event, titled “Navigating Life — Wheelchair Experience and Charity Carnival, ” was held for the 10th consecutive year by the Taoyuan County-based non-profit Potential Development Center for Spinal Cord Sufferers, the Lin Yuh-chi Memorial Foundation of the Hung Kuo Group, the De Lin Institute of Technology and the Taiwan Jewelry Industry Association, to raise public awareness of the plight of the paralyzed.
“It is also our responsibility to use our own experiences as examples when calling on the public to pay attention to their safety, ” said Lin Chin-hsing, chairman of the spinal cord sufferers center.
Noting that there are some 23,000 people suffering from spinal cord injuries in Taiwan, Lin called on the public to make donations to his agency to help finance a facility called “Home for New Life” that will provide free health care and career training for spinal injury victims.
Lin Hsieh Han-chien, chairwoman of the Lin Yuh-chi Memorial Foundation, said that she was deeply moved by the fact that the number of people participating in the annual event has been growing year-by-year because it shows that society is full of love.
Thirty-year-old Wu Hung-che, who was paralyzed at the age of 25 as a result of a car accident, said he grew fond of physical exercise after becoming a trainer at the center and added that the job has also brought hope and joy back into his life.
“My job is meaningful and I feel content with my life. I will try my best to keep living my life to its fullest,” Wu said.
(By Rachel Chan)
