How GIVINGBACKLIFE was Founded
I was like any other college student trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life – so many interests, so much passion, and so many burdens placed on my heart – but I did not have any sense of direction.
In the summer of 2008, I had the chance to visit the rural city of Yu-Lin, China with my father. The trip opened my eyes to the social context of healthcare in a developing world, and increased my desire to make a difference in it. I saw hundreds of sick, elderly people walk miles upon miles on dirt-laden roads to clinic sites. At an orphanage where the children came from heart-wrenching backgrounds and had so little, I saw them go about their day-to-day lives with so much joy. I visited three preeminent hospitals in the city and found myself horrified at the health conditions. All the sites were remarkably unsanitary and over-crowded, with countless beds placed in the hallways due to insufficient space. The most shocking sight was of the pediatric floors, which often had two children crammed onto a single hospital bed!
During my eighteen-plus hour flight home, followed by another nineteen-hours or so on the Greyhound bus from Brooklyn, NY to Ohio (long story…), I had plenty of time to reflect on the trip. One could say Edison’s light bulb went off inside this noggin of mine, as I started to think to myself, “Maybe I CAN link all of my passions and interests into one productive mission.” I had a heart for the underprivileged, I loved serving children, my career interest was in medicine, and I appreciated [dearly] my Chinese heritage. It was then the idea of GIVINGBACKLIFE as an organization was born. The slogan for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games was, “One World, One Dream.” Too many people around the world view access to the basic needs of human life – such as food, shelter, safety, healthcare, and a loving family – as merely a dream, and as a result too many people are being left behind. These needs should be a reality to not only the privileged citizens of our country, but to the citizens of our world. It would be an honor to play a small part in serving underprivileged men, women, and especially children of my heritage, through the vehicle of medicine.
In Chicken Soup for the Soul, Stories for a Better World, the question to ‘What is giving back?‘ is answered beautifully, “All our lives we receive love, compassion, lessons, wisdom and knowledge from those around us. Giving back is an occasion when we get to share what we have received with those around us. When we give, we also receive. It is the power of reciprocity. Embrace the gift of giving back.”
GIVINGBACKLIFE may be young, but we are going to carry with us a fresh outlook on making a difference in the world in which we live. We are ambitious, we are passionate, we care dearly about people, and we realize that big things cannot be accomplished alone; however, if we can collectively do small things with great love [as Mother Teresa once said], there is no reason why we can’t change the world. Most importantly, we believe that there are “Big Dreams” out there waiting for everyone, and if we don’t pursue that calling, something important won’t happen! Join us in pursuing Big Dreams.
Sincerely,
Daniel L. Lui
Founder of GIVINGBACKLIFE
Note: Though our vision will continuously evolve, the passion that fuels the vision will always stay constant, and that is our love for children and our desire to make a difference in individual lives, one day at a time. Please view our short-term and long-term goals HERE.
