Zhuang Fuhua, hailed as the Taiwanese version of the "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" girl, recently embarked on a trip around Taiwan. On the 23rd, she arrived in Taitung where, aside from sharing her personal journey at the Notre Dame Hospital, she also rode a bicycle up a small hill beside Huoshui Lake to overlook the Pacific Ocean. The gentle sea breeze made Zhuang exclaim repeatedly how comfortable it felt.
At the age of ten, Zhuang fell into a coma after inhaling excessive carbon monoxide from a fire and only regained consciousness four months later. However, she was left with mobility only in her neck and above, became blind, lost her ability to speak, and could only hear sounds. Nevertheless, through a digital pinyin chart and Morse code, she found a way to communicate. Not only has she been able to publish books, but on her 27th birthday last year, she also made a wish to travel around the island and go surfing.
Zhuang’s mother, Qiu Meizhen, said they originally thought the birthday wish was an impossible mission. However, with the help of National Taiwan Sport University students Wu Jiaying and Gu Minghan, the mother-daughter duo recently set off on their island-wide journey. The day before yesterday in Yilan, they got on a surfboard and went into the sea, experiencing surfing for the very first time. This left Zhuang smiling as she described the feeling as “like a sudden piece of cloud drifting over.”
Yesterday, the two arrived in Taitung and shared their life stories with the public at Notre Dame Hospital. Zhuang used her forehead to tap out the message “I don’t ask to run fast in life, but I do ask for it to have depth,” using a Morse code assistive device. This deeply moved all those present.
Later, with the help of students from the Department of Kinetics at Taitung University, Zhuang and her mother rode a tandem four-wheeled cart to explore the forest park and even pedaled up a small hill ten meters high to feel the ocean breeze from the Pacific while gazing at the mouth of the Beinan River.
Zhuang’s hands, which were not easy to control previously, now firmly gripped the handlebars of the bicycle. With a beaming smile, she said it felt really comfortable. Qiu Meizhen also laughed and said that thanks to the help of many people along the way, she and her daughter were able to travel the island without burdens and also get to experience Taitung’s moving scenery.