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Home>Service> Awardees of Fervent Global Love of Lives Award> 9th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2006> Blue Whale Warrior--Lien Chia-Lu
Overcoming physical obstacles, painting love and painting himself
Lien Chia-Lu was born on April 9, 1976, in Pingtung and is currently responsible for the Blue Whale Color Printing Advertisement Design Center. He is a role model being the first successful entrepreneur in the world with muscular dystrophy, overcoming the physical barriers of muscular dystrophy, and using the little strength remaining in his right arm to paint love and paint his own life. Lien Chia-Lu discovered that he had muscular dystrophy when he was in the sixth grade, in those years when children are jumping and running around, yet in his withering and wheelchair world, his life did not end there. With remarkable perseverance and determination, Chia-Lu left his home in Pingtung and went to the Changhua Jen-Ai Experimental School to study art and design. After graduating, in order to help others, he established a studio with other disabled classmates, and was responsible for editing and printing work.
      He not only is a successful entrepreneur, through his determination, Chia-Lu married Hsieh Li-Chuan who was born the same day and year as him, despite the opposition of her family. They now have two healthy boys, 5 year old Yang-Yang and 9 month old Hsiang-Hsiang. Chia-Lu uses an electronic wheelchair scooter in the day as transportation, and besides visiting customers, he counsels patients and helps them fulfilling their dreams in the Internet world. Currently, Chia-Lu only has his right hand left to work on his computer, and his left hand can only work through the help of his right hand. His left hand can only control six to seven keys on the keyboard, but the right hand must control the mouse and the majority of the keyboard. Therefore, a sheet with A3 size may only take an average person 3 to 4 hours to complete, but he needs a whole day to complete it, every work is his life's work in the countdown, and left behind as a testimony to this Taiwan legend.
      Chia-Lu was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy since he was young, when he was in the first grade he could walk by himself, in the second grade he could not stand and would have to be carried by his family, the second semester of sixth grade he transferred from a normal elementary school in Pingtung to Changhua Jen-Ai Experimental School to learn skills. In his time in the Experimental School , he had to have the help of his classmates to get in and out of bed. One time when he was playing ball with his classmates, his fragile left arm was seriously dislocated, but his body was too weak to have surgery, even till today his left arm is still weak, even when on the computer, he can only use the nimble fingers of his right hand.
      After graduating, Chia-Lu and his classmates set up a design studio in Changhua, they went out and found customers riding around in an electronic wheelchair scooter. One day an owner of a print shop saw his hard working attitude and taught him printing skills, allowing him to become the first muscular dystrophy entrepreneur in the world. Thinking back to his past, almost paralyzed at the age of seven, he only has strength left in his right wrist, but he never gave up on himself. He went on his own to Changhua to learn design, he was an entrepreneur at twenty, married at twenty three, became a father at twenty four, compared to the average person, his life is just as fulfilled.
      Facing the steady loss of strength with each passing day, Chia-Lu had at one time been afraid, but in his heart he thought: opposed to being sad and crying, it is better to optimistically face the challenge, so he started learning high-level computer graphics; he resolved to use his head to create a different kind of life. When he first started his business, Chia-Lu was the boss and the sales, he used his right hand to control the electronic wheelchair, pushing aside coldness and using a smile to face discrimination. He went door to door looking for customers, and finishing his design projects at night, when he was finished he obtained the praise of his customers, and also gained the heart of a girl. Beautiful Hsieh Li-Chuan, standing at a height of 168 cm was the first customer of Lien Chia-Lu, after chatting they discovered they were both born on April 9, 1976. They felt they it was fate that they met, after knowing each other for half a year, Chia-Lu expressed his feelings to Li-Chuan for the first time, it not only did not scare away Li-Chuan, it gained an eternal vow.
      Li-Chuan's parents refused to let their daughter marry a patient with muscular dystrophy, so Li-Chuan secretly married Chia-Lu on October 10, 1999 at the Changhua District Court. After a year, they had a healthy young boy, and only then did they dare go back to her home and ask for the blessing of her parents. For this loving couple Chia-Lu and Li-Chuan, the husband is the “brains,” and the wife is the “brawn.” Chia-Lu is busy everyday designing manuscripts, and Li-Chuan is busy moving and delivering the completed jobs, through their combined efforts, their works have won many major awards and have established stable customer sources. This close couple is a good model of love, and is a testimony for “family core values.”
      What is more rare is after establishing his business and family, Chia-Lu has helped his other friends with muscular dystrophy to learn the computer, hoping that in the future other patients can be like him and rely on their own strength to live and face the god of destiny with courage. He says with a steady look in his eyes: “I am lucky; I have met many people that have helped me along the way. I want to continue to pass around this good luck, and allow more people to stand up with courage.” Lien Chia-Lu overcame physical limitations and painted love and himself. He used his own strength to establish a business and family, helping himself and helping others, and became the first muscular dystrophy entrepreneur, so he is worthy of the name “Blue Whale Warrior.”