By Wei Yu-xian
Translated by Wu Hsiao-ting
Photos by Chen Li-xue
Tzu Chi helped a little girl whose face was disfigured by a fire undergo reconstructive surgery. Her hardship helped a Tzu Chi volunteer, coping with sudden vision loss in his left eye, see his own challenge in a new light.
Raushni Kumari, held by her sister, finished the first phase of reconstructive surgery with Tzu Chi’s help.
On the morning of September 26, 2023, nine Tzu Chi volunteers visited Raushni Kumari, a two-and-a-half-year-old, and her family in Bakraur, Bodh Gaya. Their home, even shabbier than the other simple dwellings around it, had walls coated with mud, bamboo poles supporting the eaves, and a makeshift protective barrier of straw, presumably serving as a windbreak. Lok Bee Hua was among the visiting volunteers. Standing less than 160 centimeters (5’2’’) tall, even she had to stoop to enter the house.
Raushni was engrossed in play with neighbors when the volunteers arrived. She displayed minimal expression upon seeing them. But then, it was difficult to discern her emotions from her face. A year and a half earlier, she accidentally tumbled from a bed and landed directly on a fire used for warmth beside it. Her face and right hand suffered severe burns. Her face was severely disfigured.
Stark examples of life’s impermanence
The burns had left Raushni’s skin around both eyes sagging, hindering her vision. The skin around her mouth was scorched too, preventing proper closure and affecting her ability to eat and drink. Her right palm suffered a contracture due to the burns, restricting her movement to her thumb. Her parents sought medical help for her without success for a year after the incident, until Tzu Chi intervened.
Volunteers accompanied the toddler to plastic surgeon Dr. Sanjay Kumar’s clinic for evaluation. He confirmed that Raushni’s facial issues could be improved through reconstructive and skin graft surgeries, enhancing her field of vision and ability to eat and drink. The girl’s mother revealed a long-lost smile when she heard this good news.
Raushni is the fourth of five children. Her father, supporting the family of seven, earns a living working odd jobs. The estimated cost of 146,500 rupees (US$1,760) for the surgery and hospitalization over 21 days was next to impossible for him. Tzu Chi decided to help.
Volunteer Lok Bee Hua took charge of the family after arriving in Bodh Gaya from Malaysia on May 12, 2023. On May 21, while returning from Dr. Sanjay’s clinic to Bodh Gaya, she received a call from her husband’s elder sister in Malaysia, informing her that her husband, Khoo Chin Theong (邱振忠), had suddenly lost vision in his left eye. Doctors were still investigating the cause.
Remaining calm, Lok first accompanied Raushni home after the clinic visit before contacting her hospitalized husband. During their conversation, Lok inquired about his condition and how he was feeling. She then shared with him about the recent visit to the plastic surgeon with Raushni and the upcoming treatments for the little girl. She talked to her husband again the next day. He told her that Raushni’s unfortunate story had helped him put things in perspective. He realized that the little girl had had it worse than he did—at least he still had one eye that could see, while this young girl, at such a tender age, had suffered grave burns, severely disfiguring her face. He told Lok, “The girl taught me that in this world, there are people who are suffering more than me.”
He suggested that Lok do what needed to be done in India instead of rushing back to Malaysia, assuring her not to worry, as he had his sister and medical workers to take care of him. He added that from the smile and radiance on her face, he knew that she was doing the right thing by helping the needy in India. “I was quite moved when I heard that,” Lok remarked.
She eventually returned to Malaysia in early June, after settling affairs in India. Her husband’s first words upon seeing her were, “Seeing that little girl helped me gradually let go of the sudden blindness in my left eye.” Lok shared with him that everything happens for a reason. She also said that thankfully their life is reasonably comfortable, and while the loss of vision may be challenging, if it had happened to someone with a heavier financial burden, it would have been even worse. Her husband found added comfort as he absorbed her words.
Raushni Kumari, held by her sister, finished the first phase of reconstructive surgery with Tzu Chi’s help.
Sempu Paswan’s tuk-tuk
Raushni was admitted to the hospital on May 26 for surgery. The hospital, a four-hour drive from Bodh Gaya, worried Raushni’s mother, who hadn’t traveled far before. Making the situation more difficult was that she had a child she was breastfeeding. Considering this, volunteers arranged for Raushni’s grandmother to go as well, providing 9,000 rupees (US$110) for two weeks of living expenses.
Tests before the surgery revealed that Raushni had insufficient hemoglobin. So, she had two bags of blood transfused into her, rested for two days, and then proceeded with the facial reconstructive surgery. Skin from her right thigh was used for her grafts. The goal of this first surgery was to allow her lips to close, making eating more convenient. Once she recovered sufficiently, surgery would be performed on her right hand to restore its functionality.
“This little girl ‘saved’ my husband,” said Lok.
Lok, now 46, became a certified Tzu Chi volunteer in 2018. Her husband, Khoo Chin Theong, received his certification in June 2023. During his visit to Taiwan for his volunteer certification, Dharma Master Cheng Yen encouraged him to visit India and witness the local living conditions, saying that it might further help him mentally cope with his loss of vision. Following the Master’s advice, Khoo traveled to Bodh Gaya on September 1, staying for three weeks and joining his wife in charitable visits to the needy.
On the afternoon of September 16, Khoo, along with his wife and other volunteers, visited Ganga Bigha village to promote an upcoming community cleanup event. During the visit, a villager named Sempu Paswan approached him, expressing hope that Khoo might visit his home. Realizing the villager needed assistance, Khoo followed him home.
With the help of a local volunteer to translate, Khoo learned that Sempu earned a living by driving a tuk-tuk. Two days earlier, while he was driving his wife in his tuk-tuk, the vehicle collided with a truck and overturned. The roof of his tuk-tuk caved in and the seats dislodged. Sempu’s wife was hospitalized, and was in great pain, even after returning home. She could barely move. In addition to his wife, Sempu had four young children and his elderly mother to support. He was in a difficult situation. Having previously seen Tzu Chi volunteers conducting health check-ups in the village, he sought their help when he saw them again, clinging to them as if he had found a lifeline.
After learning about his situation, volunteers first delivered a month’s worth of food supplies to his home. They saw his wife, a bandage covering part of her face, lying on a hardboard bed in a small room. There were no windows and only one light bulb for illumination. A female volunteer gently touched her head, and she opened her eyes. Using her left hand, she pointed to her lower back, indicating pain. Her four children sat beside her or stood by the bed, gazing innocently at the volunteers.
Sempu told the volunteers that his most pressing need was to repair his tuk-tuk so that he could get back to work and earn money. With minimal savings and high medical expenses for his wife’s injury, he had borrowed money from his sister. He hoped that Tzu Chi volunteers could help him through this tough time.
Lok and other volunteers accompanied Sempu to fix the tuk-tuk, with Tzu Chi sharing the costs. The repairs were finished on September 21. Witnessing Sempu able to drive his tuk-tuk and earn a living once more, volunteers felt relieved and happy for him.
