The Undaunted Woman

By Jian Shu-si (簡淑絲)
Compiled by Eddie Huang (黃永平)
                        Nick Chen (陳鼎棋)

The Undaunted Woman

By Jian Shu-si (簡淑絲)
Compiled by Eddie Huang (黃永平)
                        Nick Chen (陳鼎棋)

"Don't worry, Mommy! We'll behave ourselves." For Xie Mu-xiu (謝木秀), her son and daughter are the reasons she survived life's difficulties.

As Xie closed her eyes in the school where she had worked for years, memories flooded back to the time when she discovered her husband was having an affair— a revelation that completely shattered her world. "Although the word 'divorce' had never existed in my dictionary, after several futile attempts to salvage my marriage, I had to divorce him," Xie commented. She even changed her name, hoping for a fresh start.

After the divorce, Xie faced the daunting task of raising her two young children— a four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son— as a single mother. The traumatic experience of divorce left her emotionally distraught and drained. At her lowest point, she even contemplated taking her own life. Fortunately, her children snapped her back to reality and broke that train of thought. She realized she couldn't succumb to despair, risking its impact on her children. Determined to provide a brighter future for her family, she chose to live more optimistically and set a positive example for them.

Teaching at a special education school in Changhua, Taiwan, Xie felt that educating children with special needs demanded even greater dedication. Therefore, she returned to school for further studies while continuing her job. However, during those years, her academic workload became too heavy and she began to feel unwell. Her discomfort escalated to the point where she couldn't even turn over in bed. She went to the hospital for an examination, and the doctor informed her, "You have stage 3 rectal cancer, and the tumor is too large to be safely removed."

"When I heard what the doctor said, I didn't cry, and I couldn't cry. Instead, it was my kids and my family who were in tears. I knew that, in order to be there for my kids and watch them grow up, I must face this diagnosis with courage and determination." Xie underwent 32 sessions of radiotherapy, 12 rounds of chemotherapy, and two surgeries. Eventually, she was able to recover from cancer and reclaim her life.

During those years of suffering from divorce and cancer, one day, Xie stumbled across Tzu Chi Monthly on the internet and decided to join the Tzu Chi Teachers' Association to help organize the Children's Class for Family Growth. Without knowing what the class was all about, she eagerly embraced any opportunity to serve others. Later, upon seeing the physically challenged students at the special education school struggling to board the train, she turned to Tzu Chi for help and initiated the effort to assist those students at the station every week with Tzu Chi volunteers for 17 years.

After overcoming cancer, Xie returned to the school for an interview. "I never imagined I could come back to this place again!" she said with a smile on her face. Having endured the pain of divorce and the fight against cancer, she is still deeply moved by Dharma Master Cheng Yen's (證嚴上人) Jing Si Aphorisms, "In this world, there is no one I do not love, no one I do not trust, and no one I cannot forgive." Her enduring love to help people in need will continue with Tzu Chi…