鏗鏘玫瑰
本期關鍵詞：strong spirit 頑強的意志
At the Music School of Fujian Normal University there was a girl studying in the Dance Department named Huang Meichun. On March 8, 2004 she suddenly stumbled and fell in the classroom during her dance class. Extreme pain in both of her legs suddenly left this 23-year-old girl unable even to stand up. At that time, Meichun was only one month away from graduation. Meichun was usually in excellent health. So what was the reason for this sudden medical problem?
A blood test was carried out at the Union Hospital. When Meichun’s father arrived, the doctor called him into his office, asking Meichun to wait outside. A feeling of fear suddenly came over Meichun. Feeling helpless, she gave her fellow student a phone call. Maybe she could get some comfort from her friend.
On March 13, 2004, the doctor made his diagnosis: 23-year-old Meichun was suffering from acute lymphocytic leukemia. To poor Meichun and all her loved ones, this news was simply unbearable.
Meichun was born in 1981 into a poor peasant family in Gutian county, Fujian province,. Her father was a guard, and her nearly illiterate mother worked far from home as a housekeeper. The family had a very small income.
Though her family was very poor, at a very early age Meichun showed great artistic talent. Meichun graduated from Gutian Vocational High School in 2000 with a major in preschool education, and with hard work, she tested into the Music Department of Fujian Normal University as a dance major.
But the annual 6000 yuan tuition was quite a large expense for her. Meichun had to depend on student loans and work-study programs to pay for her studies.
After four years of college, she was about to graduate. Finally she could go to work and earn money, so that her father would not have to continue working. But this disease, like a sudden bolt of lightning, destroyed all of Meichun’s hopes.
On March 14, 2004, Meichun moved into the hematology ward of Fujian Union Hospital.
Since acute lymphocytic leukemia is a most dangerous disease for adults, the doctor would have to carry out a blood stem cell transplant as soon as possible, or a bone marrow transplant. Whether it be chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant, the medical fee for either was surely an astronomical sum for this poor family. But facing the merciless specter of death, what could the family do?
Poor sick Meichun was in the hearts of all her friends constantly. When they found out about Meichun’s condition, the entire Music Department of Fujian Normal University quickly took action.
And students who contributed money also became regular blood donors for her. During this time, the campus was filled with a spirit of love.
On March 17, 2004, Meichun began chemotherapy.
Every day her classmates went to the hospital to visit her. They were amazed to see that, although the chemotherapy was very uncomfortable, Meichun always greeted them with the same smiling, optimistic face.
As they carried out chemotherapy, the Union Hospital, along with Fujian Medical College, began a nationwide search for a bone marrow donor for Meichun.
On April 17, 2004, in the same month that Meichun began chemotherapy, musical groups from the Music Dept. of Fujian Normal University along with other schools such as Fuzhou University teamed up to put on a benefit concert for Meichun on the campus of Fujian Normal campus.
As of April 4th, 2004, through the efforts of teachers and students, total donations from the school and other areas of society had surpassed 100,000 yuan.
The Meichun began the second round of chemotherapy. Meichun’s mother and father quit their jobs in order to take care of her. One day’s medical care for Meichun cost about the same as three months of her mother’s housekeeping wages. In order to save money, Meichun even refused the most inexpensive nausea medicine.
Meichun began to lose her hair. How much longer could she hold out? All her loved ones constantly felt sadness for her.
Almost two months went by, and the hospital’s nationwide search for a bone marrow donor still had no results. In order to save this brave life, Meichun’s teachers and fellow students kept up their efforts. In just two short months, money from her fellow students’ benefit concert as well as contributions from other areas of society had exceeded 200,000 yuan. Thanks to this surge of love and support, there was now enough money to cover the total cost for Meichun’s bone marrow transplant. But the most important thing was to find a bone marrow donor, and the search for one had still been unsuccessful.
The astronomical fee for the operation had already been collected, but a bone marrow had still not been found. Everyone felt very worried and anxious.
Such a large country, more than a billion people ? Is it possible they couldn’t find any appropriate bone marrow? Through our interviews, we found out that the China Bone Marrow Bank, established in 1992, still has a very inadequate supply. This means the marrow available for marrow transplants is extremely limited. For Meichun’s family and all those concerned about her, this news was very discouraging. The doctor in charge of Meichun’s case was also very anxious. Through a friend, he sent an urgent request for help to the Taiwan bone marrow bank.
Soon news came from Taiwan -- they could find bone marrow for Meichun, but they needed a blood sample from her. But after three months of chemotherapy, Meichun was very short of blood -- at this point she couldn’t produce enough for a blood sample. Therefore, all everyone could do was wait.
A blood sample was finally transferred to Taiwan via Hong Kong. Everyone waited anxiously, hoping that those on the other side of the Strait could save Meichun’s life.
At this time, several of Meichun’s friends, who should have been looking for a job, put everything aside to take care of Meichun, staying by her side every day. On May 8, 2004, Huang Meichun returned to the university to celebrate her 23rd birthday. Back at the campus, this optimistic and resilient young woman was surrounded by warm candlelight, loving care, and the heartfelt dancing and singing of her friends. Meichun was deeply moved by the kindness of her friends.
To the enthusiastic applause of her school friends, Director Shen gave Meichun a special gift.
Lying on her hospital bed, Meichun was surrounded by love. Everyone around her was moved by her courage.
In June, 2004, Meichun’s condition gradually stabilized. Since she no longer needed to have so many IVs in her arm every day, she could now practice her dancing in the corridor of the hospital ward. She loved dancing and music so much. It seemed as if she wanted to dance into some far distant place. Yet no one would have thought that Death was approaching closer and closer to Meichun.
On June 15, 2004, Meichun had a dangerously high fever due to infection. The hospital issued a notification of terminal illness. This time, thanks to the valiant efforts of the doctors, and the prayers of her family and friends, Meichun came back from the brink of death. But danger she was only temporarily out of danger.
And so Meichun was able to cheat death. 200,000 yuan had been raised through many donations from her fellow students and ordinary citizens; Meichun had been saved many times and undergone much chemotherapy; and yet, all their efforts seemed to have come to nothing. Now Meichun, lying on her sickbed, became paler each day.
Winter came, and the money had almost all been used up. Meichun was growing weaker. But suddenly, good news at last came from the other side of the Strait. The Keats Bone Marrow Bank in Taiwan informed them they had finally found some bone marrow that could be transplanted into Meichun. This news brought a new ray of hope.
Such an ironic situation: When the money for the operation had been raised with great difficulty, no bone marrow was available. And when bone marrow had finally been found, the money for the operation was spent. And so Meichun was not able to have her operation. Days went by, and brave Meichun’s became weaker and weaker in her struggle against disease.
責編：蘭華