Painting Cancer into Love: A Triumph Over Adversity
    Lai Yun-zhu, an outstanding alumnus of the Department of Product Design at Asia University's Continuing Education Division, grew up surrounded by her family's love and affection, a happy-go-lucky angel. At the age of 16, after suffering from a cold that persisted for a month, she underwent blood tests and discovered abnormal blood markers.
 
    Her parents took her to Chung Shan Medical University Hospital for further examination. Upon hearing the results, her parents’ solemn expressions and hesitant words led her to suspect the worst—cancer. The news felt like a thunderclap, shattering her world.
 
    When Lai Yun-zhu was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, her parents decided to transfer her to Taichung Veterans General Hospital for more specialized treatment. While other teenagers were enjoying their youth, she had to stay in the hospital, enduring the side effects of chemotherapy, such as constant vomiting, pain from needle punctures, difficulty breathing, and even shock. She used her drawings to share her experiences with other cancer patients, inspiring countless fellow cancer patients to live with hope.
 
Overcoming Leukemia, Living in the Moment
    Yun-zhu often faced her illness with a cheerful and positive attitude. Finally, with self-confidence and courage, she defeated the disease and realized the resilience of life, cherishing every moment of the present.
 
    Lai Yun-zhu said, “Life is a journey of saying goodbye.” We learn to say goodbye and accept it.” After four years of treatment, she bid farewell to her doctors and nurses. Through self-study and hard work over five months, she was admitted to the Product Design Department at Asia University, her dream school. She transformed her cancer into creativity and positive energy, graduating with top honors. Her artwork still reflects the hopes of the children she met in the same ward during her treatment.
 
    As a result, Lai Yun-zhu transformed the hardships of treatment into creative energy. During her treatment, she received blessings and assistance from many people, so she hopes to pass this happiness on to help other sick children and their families, as well as friends in difficult circumstances, to walk through the dark tunnel of life together and embrace a bright future, turning the cold, white hospital rooms into a place filled with joyful colors. Defeating blood cancer and painting cancer into love, she truly deserves the title of “Blood Cancer Angel.” She stood out among 2,893 candidates recommended from around the world for the “2021 24th Global Love of Life Medal” awarded by the Taiwan Zhou Daguan Cultural and Educational Foundation.
 
Sailing out of the intensive care unit
    During her first year of high school, she caught a cold that lasted a month. After visiting three clinics with no improvement, blood tests revealed abnormal blood levels. The doctor advised her parents to admit her to the hospital immediately for further examination. Her mother then arranged for her to take a leave of absence from school, marking the beginning of four years of chemotherapy.
 
    Lai Yun-chu was admitted to Chung Shan Medical University Hospital for further examinations. Upon hearing the test results, her parents' solemn expressions and hesitant words made her suspect it was “cancer,” leaving her feeling as though everything was an unreal, thunderous shock hidden beneath the earth.
 
    When Lai Yunchu was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, she underwent red blood cell and platelet transfusions. However, due to her body's rejection, her face swelled up like a pig's head. Her parents then decided to transfer her to Taichung Veterans General Hospital for more specialized care.
 
    After arriving at Taichung Veterans General Hospital, she continued her treatment—receiving her first “artificial blood vessel,” meeting her first “little red berries” (blood transfusions), experiencing her first hair loss, and even being admitted to the intensive care unit.
 
    Due to acute pneumonia, Lai Yun-zhu was admitted to the intensive care unit. She recalled a song she loved at the time, whose lyrics went, “Before leaving this world, everything is a process. Living is not difficult; the hardest part is being human.” With only 30 minutes of visiting time, she was almost alone facing life, relying on a ventilator to survive, feeling as though the entire world had abandoned her.
 
    After a few days, Lai Yun-zhu was transferred back to a regular ward. She said, “It was like boarding a safe ship from a deserted island. This was a long journey, and I was waiting on the ship for the day it would dock.”
 
Hope for rebirth
    Chemotherapy is an indescribably uncomfortable experience, like being bitten by thousands of ants. It is a process where the body, mind, and spirit are destroyed and eroded by chemical drugs. The pain of bone marrow punctures, the sharp pain and nausea from lumbar punctures, the side effects of the drugs, and the emotional fluctuations are extremely difficult to endure.
 
    Despite experiencing constant vomiting, pain from the procedures, difficulty breathing, and even shock, Yun Zhu often faced these challenges with an optimistic and proactive attitude. Ultimately, she overcame cancer through her own confidence and courage, gaining a deeper understanding of life’s resilience and learning to cherish every moment of the present.
 
    Lai Yun Zhu attended her first hospital seminar, where a social worker encouraged patients to showcase their talents. Some shared stories, others sang or danced, while she chose to present her artwork—handmade non-woven fabric pendants.
 
    Lai Yunchu shared that in the ward, there were students from various departments, most of whom had taken a leave of absence from school to undergo treatment. Since finding joy in the hospital was no easy task, the students in the ward bonded like classmates at a reunion, playing board games, doing crafts, celebrating holidays, and sharing their feelings, supporting and encouraging one another.
 
    Lai Yunchu said, “While medication is important, mental health is equally crucial.” The fellow patients she fought alongside in the ward and the family and friends by her side became her emotional support. At that moment, no matter where they came from, health was their heart's desire, and rebirth was their most sincere hope.
 
Golden Ribbon Little Warriors
    In addition to medical care, the pediatric cancer ward at Taichung Veterans General Hospital also provides social and psychological support and financial assistance to bring health and hope to sick children, transforming the cold, white hospital ward into a place filled with joy and color to organize a heartwarming and moving art exhibition titled “Love's Comeback—Golden Ribbon Little Warriors” for children with cancer. They invited all the little warriors fighting cancer to showcase their unique cancer journeys and vibrant lives through dance, painting, and other talents.
 
    One of the exhibitors was Lai Yun-zhu, who used vibrant colors in her paintings to express her courage in fighting cancer.
 
    Lin Dongcan, chairman of the Children's Cancer Foundation, stated that Taiwan sees 500 new cases of childhood cancer each year. These children's lives have faced numerous challenges and trials, akin to gold being forged in a blazing furnace, developing a resilient and profound strength. Hence, they are affectionately referred to as “Golden Ribbon Little Warriors.”
 
    Dr. Huang Fang-liang, a consultant physician at the Children's Cancer Foundation and director of the Pediatric Hematology Department at Taichung Veterans General Hospital, said, “Every year, over 50 children with various types of cancer receive treatment and follow-up care at our hospital. Our team aims to help them receive the best possible treatment, recover their health as soon as possible, and regain their smiles.”
 
If there is a tomorrow
    Seven years have passed since the summer of her diagnosis and over 1,000 days of chemotherapy. By June 2020, she had completed five years of follow-up care. Her dreams are not limited to painting, design, and travel. Lai Yun-zhu said, “My dream is to make the most of every stage of life, do what I want to do, and forge my own path.”
 
    Lai Yunchu also said, “If there is a tomorrow, I will still cherish everything as usual, cherish myself, and cherish the people who love me.”
 
Lai Yunchu has received widespread recognition from various sectors in Taiwan.
Essay Contest Awards:
Republic of China Children's Cancer Foundation 2013 Essay Contest Merit Award
Republic of China Children's Cancer Foundation 2014 Essay Contest Third Place
Republic of China Children's Cancer Foundation 2015 Essay Competition, Merit Award
Painting Competition Awards:
Republic of China Children's Cancer Foundation 2013 Painting Competition, Second Prize
Republic of China Children's Cancer Foundation 2014 Painting Competition, First Prize
Republic of China Children's Cancer Foundation 2015 Painting Competition, Merit Award
 

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