Theme Party

Photographed by Tissot Low
Written by Kai-Ni Liu and Tissot Low

In a world filled with musical notes,
Exhaustion disappears,
Fear vanishes,
Sadness is evaporated,
And the soul is liberated.
It is a place without gravity.
In a headset-themed party,
The simplicity of a song
Overcomes all barriers,
And take us into your weightlessness state.

The ability to “breathe” comes innate with all human lives, but for the patients at the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, the simple act of breathing is a luxury. The Respiratory Care Center (RCC) of the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital was established in March of 2009. Despite being a relatively new addition, the care and patience of medical professionals have helped many patients eliminate the use of respirators and regain the ability to breathe on their own. The simple act of constant encouragement from the hospital staff is a huge factor for patients to “breathe naturally.” The photography exhibition of “Take a Deep Breath” shows images of interaction between the patients and the hospital workers.

Every single photo in the exhibition had been taken by the medical team themselves. Although the team did not have high quality camera equipment or the knowledge of picture composition, their shutter was able to capture the heart-warming images. Tissot Low noted, “Having passion and soul while caring for our patients is one thing that converts the cold, technical aspects of medicine to a warm journey to recovery.” Patients, who have recovered under the care of the breathing center, return to visit the exhibit and presented themselves as testimonies of excellent health care.

Ya-Hui Lin is the main subject in “Theme Party”. She returned to Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital on the opening day of “Take a Deep Breath” exhibition. Ya-Hui expressed her thanks to the staff that took care of her in the month she spent in the RCC.

About the Author

Tissot Low, doctor of Pulmonary Internal Medicine at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital.
A perfectionist at heart, Tissot Low strives to provide the best care for his patients. He loves photography and design, which drives him to document the journey of his patients’ recovery through his camera lens. These images captured his patients’ struggle to survive. In the hospital where many longterm patients refer to as “home,”we see endless possibilities of life miracles.