Five Days of Magic at Asia's Camp for Burn Patients in Taiwan

89 " Do you have a girl friend? " " No, I don't have one. I'm such an outsider. " Last winter, Ji-Hun (false name) fell asleep, unburdening himself of his cold answer to an anesthesiologist's question before surgery. The major six hour surgery was successful and he endured two more difficult weeks of ongoing treatment well. Ji-Hun was a strong child. Ji-Hun is a child with scars all over his body because of a burn accident when he was young. For growing children, burn scars mean much more than simply an ugly-looking appearance. As the child grows up, the skin also has to develop. However, in a case where a child has large scars, the skin does not stretch or expand but instead remains firm and pulls the body out of place, eventually disturbing normal growth. Ji-Hun's case was the same. His body was already smaller than other children of his age. The surgery Ji-Hun received to some degree freed his body from the scars he had had before. However , it seemed that even the operation could not relieve his mind, compressing in on himself as an outsider. As I observed the child following that pattern of thought, I felt a pressure in my chest. However, I knew superficial comfort could only hurt him more. I had no choice but to become more careful. The staring eyes the child had to bear could inflict a wound in the child's heart deeper than that of a knife. Even until the end of his stay at the hospital, I never found a smile on his face. Six months after that, I met Ji-Hun again at the Incheon International Airport. Ji-Hun was one of the five children who had come to participate in the Asia Burn Camp held in Taiwan. At that time, I was joining them as a guide. The three children who had participated in the camp before were quite excited because of their expectations to meet new friends, but Ji-Hun, who was participating for the first time, was neither chattering nor smiling. Ji-Hun's mother followed him to the departure gate, worried because Ji-Hun had never left his mother before. The other child who was attending the burn camp for the first time seemed to be afraid like Ji-Hun. Fortunately, right after we arrived in Taiwan, the two adapted themselves to the new circumstances well, alleviating my worries. (all …