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Home>Service> Awardees of Fervent Global Love of Lives Award> 14th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2011> ​Angel of Tsing Hua─Chuang Ching-chieh
Ten centimeters of eyesight range‧lighten a slimmer of happiness
      God gently close my eyes, but open another window of my heart. It let me see happiness.
      Both love and courage accompanying me to overcome obstacles lighten my life.
---Ching-chieh Chuang “Lighten a slimmer of happiness”
 

      Ching-chieh Chuang, the student of Department of Computer Science of National Tsing Hua University, was examined to suffer from a strange disease named Juvenile Macular Degeneration in the first year of junior high school. Her prescription has continually degenerated as time goes by and there's no way to cure. Although her prescription has generated to 0.02 and all she can see is a glimmer ten centimeters farer from the tip of her nose, she was never defeated and never gives up. Her school grades are always excellent. On The Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students, she received 273 points and a PR value of 99 . She was accepted by the first school of Taoyuan ---Wu Ling Senior High School. On College Entrance Examination, she received the level of 66 , and got full points in math. She was then accepted by Department of Computer Science of National Tsing Hua University. She was meanwhile awarded the symbolization of the best honor for graduators of NTHU, “Dr. I-Chi Mei Memorial Medal.” Now, she studies at N THU Graduate School of Department of Computer Science. During the spare time, she shares the story of how she has overcome heaps of barriers and kept carrying on her life. In July, 2010, she published her autobiography, “Lighten a slimmer of happiness.” In the book, she shares all her difficulties and challenges over these ten years with readers. Now, she is on her way to be an international well-known speechmaker. She will pass on love to everywhere through her life story .
 
Massive quake in life
      Ching-chieh Chuang was born in 1986. She has suffered from a strange disease named Juvenile Macular Degeneration. This disease mostly occurs in the elderly. Her condition was that the macular has degenerated. This was just like that the center of negatives of a camera was broken, so images can't be formed. The center of a retina is the main eyesight area and takes charge of most work. In her case, it is the cells here that degenerated and became necrosis. That's why Ching-chieh's prescription has continually degenerated. There isn't any similar history in her family and there's thus no way to know the reason why she suffered from this disease.
      Since Ching-chieh was very young, she was a smart, out-going, and romantic pretty girl with beautiful big eyes. Her happy-go-lucky childhood was, however, turned upside down in her thirteen year.
      At first, she didn't notice that her prescription had changed. One day, when she was on the way to school, her bike was hit by a scooter. She didn't take it seriously and she thought that was just an accident resulted from her carelessness. Since then, she gradually had trouble seeing words on the blackboard. She was even changed to sit in the front line. Her parents took her to glasses store to buy glasses. Although she wore glasses, she couldn't see clearly. In order to find out the reason, her father painstakingly drove her to many clinics, but all in vain. They finally received a doctor's advice on detailed examination in a big hospital.
      Through one by one detailed examination in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Ching-chieh finally knew the answer. “Given by the examinations, we believe that she has suffered from strange retina degeneration and pathological changes of macular” said the doctor. “Great! Now we know what happened to me. Just cure it!” thought Ching-chieh. She didn't expect to hear the next sentence given by the doctor. “There's no way to cure.” She would never forget that day. “Am I dreaming? After waking up, I will be fine! ” She kept comforting herself. She pinched herself and the pain let her know that she was not dreaming.
      After coming back from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , her parents didn't give up. They took her to Tri-Service General Hospital , Veterans General Hospital , and Nation a l Taiwan University Hospital to take examinations again. But the result was all the same. “You will never get well. ” Every night when going to bed, Ching-chieh was afraid. She was afraid that when she opened her eyes again, she would be all blind. She prayed every day. She prayed that when she opened her eyes tomorrow, her eyes would get well as nothing happened before. During the midnight, she cried stealthily. She fell asleep when crying tiredly, but woke up again because of nightmares.
 
Finding directions through barriers
      Despite the fact that Ching-chieh's prescription has gradually degenerated, she had to study and her life must carry on.
      At school, she was not only incapable of seeing words on the blackboard, but read slower than others. Her high self-esteem made her refuse to rely on magnifier and telescope, because she didn't want others know that there was something wrong with her eyes. After her teachers and parents' ceaseless counseling, she finally applied for “Disability Handbook” and she began to use telescope and magnifier as assistance tools in class. In order to see the words on the blackboard in class, she had to hold the telescope, and this made her hand painful and tired. She read the words on the textbook with difficulties despite the help of the magnifier. There were only a few words shown under the magnifier each time, so she had to slowly move the magnifier, and read one word to another. After she finished reading the text, her classmates already read it five to six times. If she didn't concentrate on doing so, she wouldn't have time to sleep. Cold weather was another barrier to reading to her. Warm air exhaled from her nose hazed over the surface of the magnifier and made her read difficult. Sometimes she was pissed off and really wanted to give up, but this indomitable girl finally learned to hold a breath then read one line every time. Then hold another breath and continued to read the next line. So far, she keeps using this “breath control way” to read books.
      The obstacles she confronted in her daily life also beat her. Although the bus driver saw her disability ticket card, he still kicked her out of the bus and said, “I don't want to give you a free ride!” She once requested the bus driver to give her notice when arriving at the destination, but his reply was, “Can't you see the word on the ticker? Didn't your teacher teach you Chinese characters?” Passing the destination and walked back---this usually happened in her life. Countless obstacles made her upset and depressed, but she was never defeated by them. She bravely faced those barriers and tried to overcome them and learned from them.
 
King of the exceptional, breaking through reading barrier
      Ching-chieh's grades were always exceptional. She has suffered from “Juvenile Macular Degeneration” in her first year of junior high school, and was gradually incapable of seeing words on the blackboard. Her prescription was even generated to 0.02. However, over the three years of junior high school, this indomitable girl always strived to be an exceptional student and never gave up.
      She treasured the time when she was in class. She not only paid attention to lectures, but usually raised questions. She knew that through face to face, the teacher could explain the questions to her clearer. That's why whenever she was confused, she raised her hand and asked a question. Breaks were thus became her prime time of asking questions. To her, it would be the biggest help if the teachers patiently answered her questions. Because of her stamina and perseverance, on The Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students, she received 273 points and a PR value of 99 . She was accepted by the first high school of Taoyuan ---Wu Ling Senior High School.
      On College Entrance Examination, she took the test as normal students and received the level of 66 and full points in math. She was successfully accepted by Department of Computer Science of NTHU. It was a new beginning, but also a new challenge to her. The courses of her department required that students should read original books with heaps of words, but in a small print size. She had to write programs as well. It was common that she burned the midnight oil to write programs until two or three o'clock. Other classmates only took one hour to do an assignment, but it usually took her several nights. Her hard-work finally got rewards. She won second place in her sophomore semesters and won first in the junior year. She received Academic Achievement Award (Top 3) three times during the four years of NTHU. On the graduation ceremony, she went on the stage to receive the symbolization of the best honor for graduators in NTHU, “Dr. I-Chi Mei Memorial Medal.” Through her brilliant performances, she showed her firm perseverance and stamina.
 
Parents' indebtedness and siblings' affection
      In order to cure Ching-chieh's disease, her parents took her to either big or small hospitals, clinics and even sought for secret formula. From western medicine doctors to Chinese medicine doctors, from Taiwan to overseas, only if there was the hope never did they give up!
      During her winter break in the first year of high school, her parents decided to take her and flew to Japan to see a doctor. After undergoing many basic examinations, Ching-chieh and her mother entered the meeting and consulting room to listen to the result. “Well,” a sound broke the silence and the translator told them what the doctor said, “I believe that you have a basic understanding on this disease. There's no way to cure so far. Her retina can't be replaced even if she undergoes a surgery. What else do you want to know?” The answer dropped her down to the bottom. Her father waiting at the door anxiously asked her: “What did the doctor say?” She tried her best to conceal her grief from him and answered, “Same!” Then she said, “You spent so much money, but the result is still the same.” She didn't expect that her father answered, “If there's the hope to make you get well, it is worthy to give it a try no matter how much money we have to pay. Money can always be earned.” This simple answer gave her lots of encouragement and courage.
      The same situation happened in Taiwan . If her parents heard that there was a good doctor in Nantou, they would take Ching-chieh there the next day. If they heard that there was an efficacious temple in Taidong, they would take her there on the weekend. Her parents accompanied her to look for miracles again and again, and were beaten again and again. When she was little, she took her parents' nurturance and education to her as granted. Since she has suffered from the eye disease, she realized how much her parents love her and their endless care and supports
      In addition to her parents' love, Ching-chieh has another two younger brothers, who were always tolerant of her. They never fought with her and did all housework. After she was ill, her parents spent all the time and concentration on her. They took her to different hospitals every weekend so that they didn't have time to look after her brothers. They never complained. Furthermore, they looked after their sister in every detail of daily life. They watched TV with her, read out subtitles when watching films, helped her to the food when eating meals, and accompanied her to buy stuff. They even considerately told her that after they grew up, they would look after her. What they did for her made Ching-chieh so warm and touched.
      The love and tolerance given by her parents and brothers made Ching-chieh again find her happiness.
 
Think better, embrace the whole world

      “Why me?” This question has tortured Ching-chieh for a long time. Although she studied hard on her schoolwork, although she has proved her ability, although she has proved that she's a valuable person, she suddenly lost courage and energy when she thought of her irreversible eye disease.
      One day, she joined a visual disability activity. Beside her sat a blind person. He has suffered from Glaucoma soon after he was born. His family couldn't afford to pay money to let him see a doctor. His father abandoned the family and never came back. He told her that he was envy of her because she had at least saw the sunny sky, deep blue see and each face of her families. She could also go to school to study. Hearing so, she suddenly opened wide to a panorama. As looking back, she was such an arrogant and arbitrary girl. The eye disease made her see her weakness and reliance upon others. She was, in the meantime, learned to be thankful, learned to accept the support and encouragement given by her family, teachers and friends. She then owned more precious love and care.
      After thinking better, she gradually found that, she might be very different from others, but actually, there's not much difference. After being born, every person has his/her lessons in life and hers, is to accept the difference between her eyes and others. It is useless to complain about it or detest it. It would be better to think better and learn to embrace it, and treasure it. After she changed her opinion, she found that it became easier to her to find her own beauty. Because of her eyes, she received more people's help than normal people did. Because of her eyes, she started to think that in this lesson given by God, what has she learned? Because of her eyes, she learned to be thankful, learned to accept others' love and learned to contribute.
      Why me? Now, she adores her uniqueness from the bottom of her heart. She told herself, “If not me, then who else?” Although she is a student, but she has a big dream---to become an international well-known speechmaker! On March 27 th , 2009, she nervously stepped on the stage of the auditorium of San Chong Senior High School to share her life story. In the end of the speech, the audience broke into loud applause as hearing she said “Thank you”. So far, she has made over fifty speeches in tertiary institutions and secondary institutions. She expected to make more people treasure and love their life through her story. The reward of audience was her motivation to move on again. In July, 2010, she published her autobiography, “Lighten a slimmer of happiness” to share all difficulties and challenges she has undergone over the past ten years. In the future, she hopes that she will publish the second, and the third books. She hopes that her story about how she walked out from the darkness to brightness, how she embraces the world and how she found the value and happiness of life will warm every corner of the world, just like sunshine.