2018 President Educational Award

President Educational Award was set to encourage students to face the adversity and bring their positive sides of humanity into play. The students with rare diseases who have suffered from various experiences, there is no doubt that the President Educational Award gives them the greatest recognition. A total of 10 out of the 56 winners this year are the patients of rare diseases. They deserve our applause.

Yi-Yi, Lin has suffered from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) since she was little. Her illness started 3 months after she was born. The muscle of her limbs gradually degenerates so that she stand and walk, and both of her hand can barely use. In order to maintain her cardiovascular function, Yi-Yi had used a training device to practice self-breathing everyday. When she was in elementary school, she was afraid to meet strangers. Thanks to a patient teacher who taught her how to socialize and make friends with others, she became the life among her friends. After she adapted to life in campus, Yi-Yi did her best to help the others. She helped her classmates review homework, chatted with the junior students in resource class and she even donated her 30cm cut hair which has been kept for 2 years to the Hope Foundation for Cancer Care. She is in the first year of junior high school now, her dream is to become an entertaining performer, she once said: “I want to send joy to the world, and I hope everyone in the world carry their smile on their face all the time.”

Cheng-Hong, Li who play the drums is a little different from the other drummers. He is a patient of Achondroplasia, which makes him much shorter than others. When he was little, he was so shy that he always hide behind his parent. In order to build his confidence, his parents had him learn to play the drums with his brother’s accompany. Little by little, Cheng Hong fell in love with music and enjoys playing it. He now performs the drums on different occasions, including flea markets, old streets carnivals etc. He was awarded the 2015 Model Students of Taichung City. However, when Cheng-Hong was in third grade of elementary school, his father passed away due to illness. He said: “I am too young to earn money, but what I can do is to take good care of myself, leaving no worries to my mother.” The three brothers not only do their best on their homework, but also share the housework after school. Cheng-Hong hopes he could become a drum teacher. He want not only to help to ease the burden of his family by economically independent, also to teach those who are as special as he is, helping them get comforts from music, and be positive when facing all the ups and downs in life.

Translator: Ellen Kuo (OI), Reviewer: Joy Yin