The Beauty of Serendipity

On the 29th of November, Gauteng Tzu Chi volunteers made their way to the United Cerebral Palsy Association (UCPA) for their end-of-year visit. It was to be another joyful reunion with the residents of UCPA, but this time's visit was particularly special as it  marked the first-time attendance of Mister Amirth Singh, the first African to become an official bone marrow donee. 

- original post by Ken Tsai -

- translated by Hui-Ying Li -

- edited by Joanne Lan -

Photo by: Ken Tsai





Photo by: Ken Tsai

"Ten days ago, I came across Mr. Amirth Singh in a private business meeting. He made me a promise that day that he would join me in attending one of our year-end Tzu Chi Christmas events.

UCPA is actually relatively close to Amrith's home but he eagerly took on the effort of driving an extra 20 kilometers to meet the other volunteers at the Tzu Chi office in Bedfordview first. When Amrith and his wife arrived at the office, they expressed their delight by proposing to volunteer at Tzu Chi regularly from this time onwards.

Today is the first time the Singh couple volunteered at a Tzu Chi event; althought a little unfamiliar with the environment, their volunteer efforts were filled with joy. On arrival at UCPA, they immediately assisted in offloading the relief goods from the vehicle followed by avidly attending to the patients in pushing them through the grounds on their wheelchairs and cheerfully interacting with them.

Amrith said that he was very happy in being able to volunteer at UCPA with Tzu Chi members and that he was touched to see Tzu Chi volunteers' sincere and affectionate interactions with the patients; treating them with love and care as if they were their own family.

Before leaving, Amrith kept expressing his appreciation in being given the chance to dedicate himself to Tzu Chi. We promised each other to attend more Tzu Chi volunteer events together after the New Year holiday." 

Click on the link to read more about Amrith and his touching story: http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-10-07-bone-marrow-transplant-a-donation-that-saves-a-life/#.VH90C-lxnmQ

Photo by: Ken Tsai