A successful entrepreneur, reporter, photographer, editor and university lecturer, Chen Hung was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 1998.

Despite being completely paralyzed, Chen recently completed a book called "Between Blinks" by communicating his thoughts to his wife, Liu Hsueh-hui, with the only part of his body he could still move, his blinking eyes.

"Chen is like a living Buddha who depicts his own story in person and embraces the public," said Joyce Yu, secretary-general of the Taiwan Motor Neuron Disease Association.

ALS is a motor neuron disease and is one of the most devastating disorders that affects the functioning of nerves and muscles. While the victim's mind remains intact, the body slowly stops functioning. Chen is at the later stage of the disease that has no known cure.

"Between Blinks" is a collection of Chen's random thoughts showing how Chen tries to conquer his surroundings with his heart, and how his efforts meet with both successes and frustrations.

In the book's preface, Chen says his work is not a plea for pity or a forum to complain about his circumstances but rather an admonition to people not to waste their lives. He said people should find fulfillment in learning and promote greater understanding to gain respect.

The newly published book was launched at a press conference yesterday at Sungshan Armed Forces Hospital, where Chen has been laid up for more than two years. Liu Hsueh-hui was on hand and told of the torment she felt while helping Chen write the book.

"When I was recording his thoughts for him, I would often run into the washroom to wipe off my tears when he revealed his feelings," a teary-eyed Liu said.

Liu said she had quit her job to take care of Chen from early morning to late at night. If she had her life to do over again, she would have left more time for herself and for her family. "We worked too hard in the past," she lamented.

Her greatest fear is that Chen loses his ability to blink, because he remains "the center and heart of our family."

The production of a book would have been unthinkable for Chen when he first was diagnosed with ALS. At that time, he shut himself off from the world. Only after a long battle did Chen begin accepting visitors and later on, interviews.

"I am just a defeated soldier in life, not worthy of any attention," he told visitors at the time.

To complete his 30,000-word book, Chen took one year and blinked over 100,000 times. He initially communicated by blinking at a board with the Chinese alphabet invented by his wife.

The board was then perfected by Rick Chu, editor-in-chief of the Taipei Times, who made it half transparent so the two could communicate by having their lines of vision meet. But to some admirers, Chen used more than his eyelids to compose the book.

"The book was written with his heart," Sungshan Armed Forces Hospital Superintendant Lu Li-chun said.

The disease Chen is inflicted with is still a mystery to medical science. "The cause of the disease is still unknown. Some say it's the result of gene mutation; some say it is inherited. Cases of the disease are quite rare," Joyce Yu explained.

"Documents show that males aged 40 to 50 are most likely to develop the disease, but young patients with ALS have also been found in Taiwan." Yu said.

According to Yu, based on Taiwan's population, there are probably around 800 to 1,000 ALS patients, but only around 200 are registered with the Taiwan Motor Neuron Disease Association.

"Symptoms of ALS include muscle weakness in limbs, tripping, and the inability to hold pens. Typical ALS leads to shortness of breath, which makes ALS more difficult to confront than cancer. Seeing your own abilities being deprived from you bit by bit, and having your life slowly drained away is painful," Yu said.