Wu Jiaying (right), a master's second-year student at National Taiwan Sport University, and Gu Minghan (left), a graduate, assist quadruple amputee life dancer Guo Weiqi (center) in climbing with prosthetic limbs.
Guo Weiqi, an individual with physical and mental disabilities who has had all four limbs amputated, climbed Snow Mountain this month with prosthetic limbs, setting a rare record in Taiwan for a quadruple amputee successfully scaling a high mountain. Guo, who lost both her hands and feet to illness at the age of 8, remains optimistic about life. Upon reaching the main peak of Snow Mountain, she said, “It was worth it even if I scraped my skin.”
The driving forces behind encouraging Guo Weiqi to take on Snow Mountain include not only her family but also Gu Minghan, a graduate of the Department of Leisure Industry Management at National Taiwan Sport University, and Wu Jiaying, a master’s second-year student. Last year, Gu Minghan hiked 1,100 kilometers around Taiwan, raising NT$100,000 for families in crisis; Wu Jiaying cycled across 7,000 kilometers of the U.S. East and West Coasts and once led four school dropouts on a cycling trip around Taiwan.
Gu Minghan and Wu Jiaying recently helped “Code Girl” Zhuang Fuhua fulfill her dreams of cycling around the island and surfing. This time, they decided to continue helping others realize their dreams by assisting Guo Weiqi in climbing Snow Mountain.
Guo Weiqi said that climbing a long mountain trail for the first time tested her perseverance and determination beyond imagination. “I really can’t believe I made it to Cry Slope, 369 Mountain Hut, and even to Stone Waterfall — I moved myself to tears.”
Despite having her limbs amputated in childhood, Guo Weiqi went on to learn electronic keyboard, dance, painting, and more, proving that people with disabilities may face inconveniences but there is nothing they cannot do. Guo Minghan said this “Passing on Love” project helps individuals with disabilities experience different landscapes, hoping to “see something shining burst forth from them — that something should be called a dream.”