![An unexpected life challenge prompted Hooi Tung Yuen to bravely take her first step. She said, “I can’t leave the rest of my life blank.” [Photo by Chia Aai Hoon]](/images/Articles/PPL/2025/KL20250823_xaf01_011.jpg "An unexpected life challenge prompted Hooi Tung Yuen to bravely take her first step. She said, “I can’t leave the rest of my life blank.” [Photo by Chia Aai Hoon]")
An operation changed Hooi Tung Yuen’s life forever. She lost her voice, yet in that silence, she found her truest self.
An operation on February 16, 2023, marked a turning point from which Hooi Tung Yuen’s life would never be the same again.
Fear and helplessness consumed her as the once-familiar world collapsed. Even the simplest daily tasks required assistance. She had to relearn and face many things anew — as though they were her life’s “firsts”.
She once struggled in voiceless silence, but now, she speaks through her actions, telling stories that move the heart.
She once dreaded facing the world alone, but now, she walks forward with quiet strength.
At 62, she declared, “I can’t leave the rest of my life blank.” The unexpected challenge life handed her became the catalyst for a new direction and a better version of herself.
◎ A crushing blow
A bright, eye-crinkling smile feels like Tung Yuen’s signature. From the first encounter, it leaves a lasting imprint.
In early 2022, Tung Yuen was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. Her world collapsed within. Fortunately, her daughter stood firmly by her side, seeking doctors and arranging treatments. Thus began a series of radiotherapy and chemotherapy sessions. The side effects were unbearable — her neck burned like fire, her mouth was painfully dry, and swallowing became difficult. She had no choice but to resort to morphine and pain-relief patches just to endure the torturous days.
At her lowest point, she met Tzu Chi volunteer June Chow Shan Shan. At that time, Tung Yuen longed to understand Buddhism more deeply. June shared that Tzu Chi is not merely a Buddhist organisation but one that encourages people to become “living bodhisattvas” to ease suffering and bring joy to others.
Tung Yuen was puzzled. “What is a living bodhisattva? Isn’t Buddhism about worship, chanting, praying, and lighting lamps to bless one’s family?”
Despite enduring great physical and emotional pain from her illness, her desire to seek the answer was strong. June did not preach; she simply offered gentle companionship, lending her books and sharing Master Cheng Yen’s Dharma talks and stories of volunteers at work.
Watching the footages, Tung Yuen was deeply touched by the volunteers’ selflessness and their radiant smiles even amidst exhaustion. That inspiration spurred her to take her first step into Tzu Chi, to experience for herself the joy of helping others.
◎ The challenges return
However, the illness was not done with her. At the end of 2022, the cancer relapsed. The doctor had to remove both her vocal cords and create a permanent stoma in her neck. This meant she would never speak again and would have to breathe through her tracheostomy.
“At that moment, it felt as though the world had stopped,” she recalled.
After the operation, she needed constant suctioning of thick phlegm and underwent an emergency surgery for a ruptured jugular vein, followed by a colonic flap procedure to repair her throat. Multiple operations left her frail and barely able to move, even unable to walk on her own. Those were her most vulnerable days.
After three months of recuperation, though her body healed slowly and painfully, an unyielding strength stirred within. With the unwavering love of her family and friends, she rose again, learning to walk, to breathe, and to live anew.
The first two months were filled with fear. Unable to speak, she did not know how to manage difficulties alone; every outing required company. It was not until the third month that she finally mustered the courage to drive out by herself, and that was a moment of epiphany.
To prepare for emergencies, her thoughtful daughter made her a card that read, “I have lost my voice. Please contact xxxxxx.” During this period, two incidents tested her courage. Both times, she managed to text for help and solve the problem. These experiences boosted her confidence. She realised she could manage on her own even without a voice. To this day, she has never once needed to use that card.
◎ The pledge of commitment
Having survived a second ordeal, she told herself, “I can’t give up simply, because in Tzu Chi, I’ve found my compass.”
Though she could no longer speak, she began using text messages and voice recordings to share Tzu Chi’s missions and love, inviting others to join in doing good.
During a volunteer training, a speaker’s words — I pledge to — struck a chord within her, and she pledged to help more people in need. From then on, “I pledge to” became her new voice, one that moved the hearts of her family and friends. Voiceless as she was, her message was heard loudly.
When someone asked, “Having lost your voice, what have you gained?” She paused, picked up her drawing board and wrote: “No conflict.”
Unable to express anger through words, she found that her silence brought peace — a quiet tolerance and calm she had never known before.
◎ Learning through service
At first, Tung Yuen was hesitant to join home visits, fearing that her stoma might get infected. However, fellow volunteers wanted her to see more and experience the unseen corners of society where compassion grows. They carefully selected suitable cases and accompanied her patiently.
Each home she visited revealed resilience amidst hardship, endurance amidst pain and loneliness of the sick and aged, and tenacity amidst challenges of the single mothers.
From the home visits, she learned that Tzu Chi’s help goes far beyond material aid. It is a companionship that warms the heart. Surrounded by compassion, wisdom and gratitude, she too continues to grow.
One of the care recipients is an Indian woman who has never received a formal education. Despite their different backgrounds, one having lost her voice and the other unable to read, they have inspired each other and have discovered strength through their unique way of communicating.
The woman who once needed encouragement has now become a source of it.
◎ Reflection and aspiration
Looking back, Tung Yuen is filled with gratitude. Through Tzu Chi, she has learned to listen deeply and to let go of attachments. She used to brood all day when misunderstood. Now, she reminds herself that “change begins with oneself”.
Once, after a family argument, she lay awake all night with anger and hurt. The next day, she chose tolerance and resolved it with calmness. Such inner strength was something she never knew she had.
The deepest pain in her life came when her mother passed away. Yet even in grief, love found its way. At her mother’s memorial, fellow volunteers arranged a chanting session, a gesture that touched her family’s hearts.
“Mum, I’ve seen how devoted you are to Tzu Chi. You have my support,” her son told her. His words became her greatest motivation.
Although her other family members did not voice their support, she knew they might not yet have seen her transformation. She also understood that this path was never about being seen; it is about taking root within, until it blossoms in time.
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Tung Yuen is now preparing to travel to Taiwan to be certified as a Tzu Chi commissioner. This is her first flight since her recovery. Though apprehensive about the unfamiliar, she said, “I’m willing to go beyond my limits, step by step. As long as I can walk the Bodhisattva path, all fears are worth overcoming.”
She once did not understand what a “living bodhisattva” was. Now she knows that spiritual cultivation is not about retreating into temples to chant, but about walking among people to serve those in need.
She no longer asks, “Why me?” but instead, “What more can I do?” For she now knows that as long as she can help others, her life holds meaning.
“I may have lost my voice,” she said, “but I’ve found the one within.”
May this silent voice be heard by many more.
