4·14 Earthquake Relief Special - 15

　　Yushu Rescue—We’re Doing Our Best, Number Fifteen

　　We’ll never forget the look in her eyes for the rest of our lives.

　　May 8: Light rain turning cloudy.

　　After a night of light rain, the air in Jiegu Town this morning is much fresher, and hints of spring greenery are gradually appearing on the branches and grass.

　　As always, our rescue team split into two groups to begin operations. Today, the medical team consists of Lasang Qudan, Puqiong, and Dojirenqing, who started working at 8 a.m. The remaining seven members formed the supplies distribution team and spent the morning making individual phone calls to households identified in previous days as being in extreme poverty, notifying them to pick up their supplies at 1:30 p.m. In total, we reached out to 138 households. During this time, Qinghai TV also conducted an interview with us, during which we provided a brief overview of the “Qizheng Tibetan Medicine Guangcai Medical Rescue Team’s” medical treatments and supplies distribution efforts.

　　At 1:30 in the afternoon, the supply distribution point at Jiegu Temple was already crowded with 112 families who had come to collect relief supplies. The crowd lined up in a long queue, all brimming with anticipation and excitement. The sheer number of people made us deeply aware of the gravity of our rescue mission. Yet no matter how busy we were, despite our exhaustion, none of us felt weary—because we were doing this wholeheartedly and with genuine willingness. Faced with people struggling under the twin burdens of disaster and poverty, faced with the grateful smiles and touching gazes of those who, despite their own limited means, offered us their heartfelt gratitude—how could anyone remain unmoved? Doing good deeds requires no reason, no bargaining chips, and certainly no waiting. We’re here, fortunate enough to represent everyone as members of the relief team, united by one single wish: to do as much as we can, and keep on giving as much as possible.

　　Based on the pre-registered records, we distributed various supplies according to the needs of different groups and the specific circumstances of each disaster-stricken area. Generally, we provided Tibetan clothing, underwear, and hot water bottles to elderly people; shoes, clothes, milk powder, and socks were mostly given to children; adults received supplies such as pots, kettles, hats, and candles for their families; and women were given sanitary pads, cooking oil, thermos flasks, and other items. For the 26 households that haven't yet come today, we'll notify them again. Each time we distribute supplies, we re-contact those families who hadn't picked up their items the day before, ensuring they can receive the urgently needed supplies as soon as possible.

　　By five o'clock in the afternoon, the distribution of relief supplies was basically coming to an end. However, we couldn't quite call it a day yet, because there was still one special family waiting for our help today—a single elderly woman, aged 83, who lived alone. After the earthquake, already frail and suffering from multiple illnesses, she had been living all by herself in a borrowed tent, making her life even more difficult. When we visited her yesterday for an on-site survey, we found that she had no clothes, no cooking utensils, and no means of communication whatsoever. Moreover, she had great difficulty moving around and couldn't possibly make it to any of the distribution centers to pick up supplies herself. As soon as our scheduled distribution work concluded, we took a five-minute break right there before quickly gathering up pots, Tibetan clothing, milk powder, thermos bottles, socks, and other daily necessities for this elderly woman. Then we hopped into our car and headed straight for her tent. After a drive of just over twenty minutes, we finally reached her home. When she saw us, she was initially somewhat surprised—and also a bit skeptical. Perhaps she hadn't held much hope after our visit and survey yesterday. But to her surprise, not only did we bring the supplies to her, but we did so remarkably quickly. As we placed the supplies in front of her and handed her the 500-yuan donation generously given by our company colleagues, tears began to roll down her weathered face. She grabbed our hands tightly, repeatedly expressing her heartfelt gratitude. Maybe she was simply overwhelmed with emotion—so much so that we didn't really understand much of what she said. Yet, her eyes left an indelible impression on our minds—a look that's utterly beyond words, a look we'll never forget for the rest of our lives.

　　Another busy day has come to an end. From 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., the medical team worked a full 13 hours, seeing a total of 178 patients—roughly 13 or 14 patients per hour. With virtually no time for rest, the medical team finds itself in this situation almost every single day when the outpatient clinic is operating normally.

　　Tomorrow, we plan to distribute supplies to 147 families in need. It’s starting to drizzle outside again—let’s hope tomorrow brings good weather!