Is it You Looking at Me?
Written and photographed by Chia-Lin Liao
Are you looking at me?
Two eyes and one nose,
I think we are the same!
Why are you looking at me?
Am I adorable?
Looking at me, you smiled,
and I smiled too,
In fact we are really similar!
Postscript
I am grateful to my instructor Shao-Yin Chu for giving me this rare opportunity. Since we seldom come in contact with the Down’s patients, my previous impression of them was strictly from the rigid descriptions in the textbooks, and perhaps some aged photos. Can you imagine Down’s babies painting, doing Tai Chi, or play table tennis? Before this encounter, I could never imagine such a scene. Through the camera, I can do nothing but praise! Also, I have now a tremendous respect to their parents.
“Down’s babies all look the same!” But to their parents, each is unique and special. The burden and toil of nurturing a Down’s baby is beyond words. Tears and sweats, guilt and dismay, they only have one thing to say - this is my baby!
Through them, I witnessed the courage and persistence of parents. Each family has a story of their own, and they write each page with sincerity and endeavor. If you open your arms and reach out your hands, the Down’s babies will present themselves without holding back.
We might not be able to give them much in terms of medical treatments, but perhaps what they need is a world with recognition and acceptance. I can never forget a 5th grade boy, kissed my hand as we parted, simply because I was his loyal fan for an entire afternoon.
About the Author
Chia-Lin Liao,
Then 6th year medical student of Tzu Chi University, was a boy from a countryside in Tainan. With years of exploring in Hualien, he even ventured into the world of martial art.
Like all the other medical students in Tzu Chi, Chia-Lin has a profound memory of the time he spent in anatomy lecture hall and A-Block classroom. After interning in the hospital, Chia-Lin picked up a camera after been exposed to photography by his alumni and instructors, and started to enjoy the sensation of the shutter. “For an amateur among the amateurs like me, I probably won’t be able to present something profound, but my aim is to capture the most beautiful moments of the people and things I love.”