August 2, 2025
For this supermom, Tzu Chi’s free clinic is a blessing
By Dorothy Castro
It was one ordinary day of volunteering at an organization’s kitchen when 56-year-old Maribeth Menge felt the first surge of pain in both of her hands.
A supermom already used to multitasking and difficult work, she disregarded the ache, dismissing it as exhaustion. “I will just treat my hands with a compress,” she said. However, soon enough she could no longer do her work as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for Korean students, which required quick hands to work on her computer.
Having become a widow for the past two years with three children to raise on her own has been a journey of strength. Her youngest is a Person with Disability (PWD), whom she dedicates much love and care to.
But even with the love in her family, her sudden pain made life difficult for her physically and financially.
“I could not even open a candy wrapper, much more a pack of biscuits,” she recalled. She could no longer work full-time either, due to the incessant pain as she worked on her computer.
That’s when she encountered Tzu Chi Philippines’ Free Clinic from a concerned friend who recommended she consult a specialist in the foundation’s campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, back in October 2024.
Since then, traveling from her home in San Mateo, Rizal, to the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus’ Synergy Hall in Sta. Mesa, Manila, has become part of her routine.
The free clinic, a joint effort with Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA), offers many consultations and health services with the following medical specializations: General Medicine, Pediatrics, ENT (Ears, Nose, and Throat), Acupuncture, and Physical Therapy. Medicine and vitamins are also provided to patients as recommended by the volunteer doctors, free of charge.
It was one of these consultations with Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor Stanley Chua where it was discovered that Menge had been suffering with tendinitis, leading to inflamed muscles along her arms.
Since then, she has been undergoing acupuncture treatments for her hands, and recently her back pain, upon the assessment of doctors Kristephenie and Jeff Liang.
“Without acupuncture, even at rest, I would feel a climbing pain on my arms,” Menge stated, grateful for the relief of consistently receiving treatment. Her back, once sore, feels light. Now, opening a pack of snacks has become pain-free. She has also resumed her role as a supermom, taking care of her family.
To Menge, more than healing, finding Tzu Chi Foundation at a difficult time gave her perspective on compassion and humanity.
“You are a godsend to us,” she expressed. “We do not have that much to go seek special doctors because it costs money. What the Tzu Chi Foundation has been giving us is beyond a gift in this world.”
Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines’ Free Clinic continues to open its doors to patients from all walks of life: from young children in need of vitamins to keep them healthy, to hardworking mothers like Menge who need healing to support her journey.
Everyone is welcome to secure appointments by accessing https://tzuchi.org.ph/free-clinic and registering for consultations. August 2025 registrations are now open.
At the Synergy Hall of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, patients take advantage of the foundation’s free clinic.
Fifty-six-year-old Maribeth Menge talks about her acupuncture treatment and how it helped her hand mobility.
Maribeth Menge gets her vital signs taken before undergoing acupuncture.
Each patient has their vital signs taken before being seen by specialists.
Maribeth Menge (left) explains her condition to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor Kristephenie Liang (right).
At the general medicine area, a patient undergoes a consultation with Dr. Johanna Go (left).
Dr. Jeff Liang treats a patient’s pain through acupuncture.
Thin needles are placed onto the patient’s back to ease pain.
At the pharmacy, Tzu Chi volunteers help organize the inventory of medicines and vitamins.
Tzu Chi volunteer and pharmacist Goldie Ngo gives medicines to a parent for her young daughter after a pediatric consultation.