pLOG

2026-05-22

PatientsForce Joins Hands with TFRD to Step into Enterprises! Driving Corporate Inclusion and DEI with the "Scent of Life"

To deepen the values of inclusion and empathy within corporate culture, PatientsForce has embarked on a deep collaboration with the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders (TFRD) to vigorously promote a life education initiative: "Rare Disease Artisans Stepping into Enterprises and Community Groups." Recently, this initiative successfully brought warmth and inspiration to Takeda Taiwan, inviting rare disease artisan Ya-Chi to engage with corporate colleagues through an in-depth speech and a hands-on essential oil workshop. Through this meaningful connection between the industry and marginalized groups in society, the project hopes to enable enterprises to truly see the challenges, fearless resilience, and love for life behind rare disease families.

Flipping the Script on Fate: Confronting a 1-in-400,000 Rare Trial

Before her diagnosis, rare disease artisan Ya-Chi was a sunny young woman who loved geography and travel. She once harbored a dream of traveling the world, with footprints spanning more than a dozen national parks in the American West, Australia, and Japan. However, her life took a quiet turn at the age of 30. Beginning with unexplained, frequent falls in her daily life and difficulty getting on and off buses, she endured the agonizing ordeal of seeking answers from multiple doctors. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with Miyoshi Myopathy, a condition with a prevalence rate of only about 1 in 400,000.

Miyoshi Myopathy is a rare disease caused by a genetic mutation that leads to a deficiency of the "dysferlin" protein on cell membranes. (It is also the same condition afflicting Yang Yu-hsin, the well-known "Rare Angel.")

  • Disease Characteristics: Currently, there is no curative medication available in medical science.
  • Degenerative Path: The symptoms of muscle weakness begin in the distal muscles such as the toes and calves, gradually spreading upward to the thighs and hips, ultimately leading to a complete loss of the patient's independent mobility.

 

Transforming Dreams into an Aromatic Journey: Professional Aromatherapist and Enterprise Co-Create “Magic Lucky Spray”

Faced with the cruel verdict of a disease gradually stripping away her physical capabilities, Ya-Chi chose not to compromise with fate. Fully aware of the progressive nature of her illness, she decided to prepare herself ahead of time for a future in a wheelchair.

"I don't want to just compromise and settle in life; whatever I do, it has to be something I truly love. I hope that even within these limitations, I can still live out the true value of my own life!"

Showing incredible resilience, Ya-Chi held down her day job while continuing her studies at night, ultimately transitioning into a professional aromatherapy lecturer. She not only successfully obtained three advanced international aromatherapy certifications from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France all at once, but also went on to establish her personal brands, "Meeting Miyoshi" and "Star Academy," redefining her life's value through sheer capability and strength.

Ya-Chi expressed with emotion that while the illness restricted her steps to travel abroad, it could never limit her desire to explore the world: “If I can bring back the scents through essential oils—bringing my past dreams of traveling the world to life—it feels as though I am actually on that journey myself.”

Following the moving sharing of her life story, Ya-Chi brought this "life-transforming magic aroma" into the event, leading the colleagues at Takeda Taiwan through a hands-on experience of creating their own "Magic Lucky Spray." By blending mandarin and exotic basil essential oils, she brought an abundance of positive energy and proactive motivation to everyone present.

 

Deepening Corporate DEI Values: Connecting All Sectors with Marginalized Groups Through Life Dialogues

The value of a modern enterprise comes not only from its outstanding technical expertise and commercial performance, but even more so from the empathy and inclusivity within the organization.

PatientsForce and the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders (TFRD) hope that through each sincere cross-sector corporate exchange, rare disease patients can enter enterprises to make their voices heard, transforming businesses into friendly platforms that carry understanding, inclusion, and hope. Looking ahead, both organizations will continue to connect with more biomedical industry and corporate partners to jointly build a more resilient, diverse, and warm society of equity and inclusion for rare disease families.