Friday, May 29, 2009

THE STORY OF HUANG NAIHUI

Huang NaiHui was born in 1964 in Taipei, Taiwan as the eldest child to a well to do family. When he was a child, he suffered from very high fever. His grandmother being very superstitious, attempted to “cure” him by using the traditional methods of feeding him with incense ash (an ancient Chinese belief). This led him to suffer from cerebral spasm which he became partially paralyzed.

His parents afraid that he may bring bad luck to them decided to abandon him. His grandmother decided to take up the responsibility to bring him up.

It was at the age of 13 that he went to school to study. At first he was very slow at learning. Gradually he was able to pick up.

At the age of 22, he would study and work part time. He would sell lottery tickets and flowers during the day and attend classes at night. During his spare time he would attend Psychology and Chinese language classes at the University of Taiwan as an observer! The joy of learning overcomes his self pity.

He uses his knowledge very well in his business of selling flowers. He would go door to door selling flowers during the day. He would sell flowers at pubs and night clubs at night. At times, in order sell, he has to sing for his patrons even though he did it out of tune. He was often teased by people. A fact he learned to accept as a handicap. However he would pick himself up and face the next customer with a smile.

What hurt him most was whenever he sees a happy family together. Something he never enjoyed…the warmth of a family.

When Huang NaiHui was 24, his grandmother passed away. It was the darkest day of his life. She was the only person in his life even his younger siblings spurned him. But on that day he was overwhelmed with joy with the opportunity to see his again who have come to pay their last respect for his grandmother.

He was hoping to be re-united with his family. To his surprise, that was not meant to be. His father asked him to leave the ancestral home which was left behind by his grandmother. He was literally kicked out, left to cry and to sell flowers on the streets the whole night – and it was New Year’s Eve.

At that moment, he learnt one of the greatest lessons in his life. even if his family members could hurt him, one can only rely on himself.

Today, Huang NaiHui is a much sought after speaker, having spoken up to 1000 rounds of talk. He has become an inspiration not only for the handicap but also to normal people in hardship.

His book “Facing The Sun” and his story has created a reverberation in the Taiwanese society.

He now owns 3 flower shops and employs able-bodied people to work for him. He would spend his spare time doing charity work. A man who needs the society to help instead is helping many able-bodied people and the society in general.

Taken from this LINK.

8 comments:

Tiger said...

The boss of 99 Supermart is wheelchair-bound, and it hasn't stopped him from opening up more stores!

Unknown said...

Hi Tiger,

Where is 99 Supermarket? I vaguely remember reading about it. Do let me know...Why don't you write something about it? ;) Food for thought.

Thanks so much, Tiger for visiting. I appreciate your input, support and friendship.

Have a lovely weekend and God bless.

Cheers!

mamasita said...

Your story of this Taiwan fellow is so sad..luckily he made it!
Some parents can be really evil! How can they abandon their child?
But they did not realise they kicked out God's gift to them. I bet Huang's siblings are not as successful as he is.
btw..did Huang get married and have kids?

Unknown said...

Hi Datin Mamasita,

It is shocking that some parents are worse than animals!!! I don't think he is married yet.

By the way, I did another post on a disabled girl called The Four-fingered Pianist.

That one is another inspiring story. Do catch it if you can.

Take care and have a good weekend.

Salam.

uncle james said...

Hi MWS,

Your story reminds me of a fantastic chef who can manage 3 pan-woks ( woks with handles).His mangled left hand had only 2 fingers but he can deftly lifts up the pan-woks which are filled full with chop-suey & yong chow fried rice.

I met this kind-hearted Perak-born chef when i was moonlighting during my uni days in London. He was Head Chef in a 100 tables Chinese restaurant that was full during lunch & dinner hours.

He was soft-spoken, and only have kinds words for everyone.He was always motivating us partimers, telling us to concentrate on our studies. Sometimes he would curi-curi cooked giant prawns with sambal which we missed so much.On our weekly payday, he would buy chocolates for everyone!

At that time we heard that his weekly wages was 1000 english pounds ( year 1979)!!

He was a short man, but in my mind, he was a "giant".

Ohyes, he was hare-lipped, and had polio on his right leg.

One day i will blog about my short but meaningful encounter with this "gentle giant".

Cheers.

ps: There are many 99 supermarkets around PJ, Subang, Sunway & Puchong. Dear Tiger, please tell us about the 99 supermarket boss story yah.

Unknown said...

Dear brother James,

Thanks for sharing about the life of your chef friend. Considering the many challenges he faced, his accomplishments and amazing - Please write a post about him - I am sure that would inspire many others...even those who are able-bodied to maximise whatever that God has given to them.

Take care and have a great time with your son (how many kids do u have?) and wife during this school break.

Cheers

uncle james said...

HiMWS,

Thank you for your wishes...yes, i am gonna have a real fun time with my son and my 7 nieces & nephews (from 3 different families)..phew !

My son is 15, the biggest baby in Malaysia....hahaha. I also have a 23 years old girl who thinks she is still Daddy's little girl...haiz.

Thanks for asking.

Cheers.

Unknown said...

Hi brother James,

Wow - you are lucky to have a pair! And so many nieces and nephews...sure way to lose weight and your voice haha!

Happy holidays and let me know if you are up in Penang!

God bless and have lots of fun.

Cheers