4·14 Earthquake Relief Special - 14

　　Yushu Rescue—We’re Doing Our Best, Number 14

　　Deliver help to where it’s needed.

　　May 7: Dust and light rain

　　At 8 a.m., we said goodbye to our three team members—Gao Ming, Wanma Danzeng, and Ciwang Sangbu—who had fought together for 13 extraordinary days. During these unusual 13 days, we forged deep friendships. We took a group photo at our base camp, hugged each other one by one as we bid farewell, and wished them a safe journey ahead!

　　After adjusting their emotions about the parting, everyone immediately threw themselves into their work. Lasang Qudan, Losong Nima, and Puqiong from the medical team quickly sorted and organized the newly delivered medications, and patients began arriving one after another. The remaining team members hung up the banners they’d brought from yesterday and thoroughly cleaned out the warehouse, making room for a new team member—Dorje Renqing—who was expected to arrive that afternoon. Once everything was neatly organized, the entire team headed collectively to Jiegu Temple to take inventory of and organize supplies, preparing for the next distribution. The addition of the new team member injected fresh energy into the group and offered valuable suggestions on details related to the storage and distribution of supplies.

　　After neatly stacking the supplies, we happily wrapped up for the day. Since there wasn’t enough room in the vehicle, the three female team members planned to take a taxi back to the campsite. But after waiting for ages, they still couldn’t hail a single cab. Just as they were starting to worry, a minivan pulled up beside them. It turned out that the driver was someone we’d helped before—his keen eye, trained by the distinctive Qizheng work uniforms worn by the female team members, had spotted them right away. After dropping the women off at the campsite, he repeatedly said, “If you ever need a vehicle again, just give me a call anytime. I’ll do my best to repay your kindness.” His words deeply touched the team members.

　　In the afternoon, we were headed to nearby villages and towns to visit families in need. After quickly finishing a bowl of instant noodles, we split into two teams and set off again. Three cordyceps suppliers from our company are based in Yushu, which has also been severely affected by the disaster. We delivered supplies to them. In the afternoon, Hu Gang and Duojie Renqing made a special trip on behalf of the company to visit these suppliers. When one of the suppliers learned that we had entered the villages and towns to identify families in dire need of assistance, he said with deep emotion, “You at Qizheng are truly the rescue team I’ve ever known that goes deepest into the disaster areas, getting firsthand insight into the actual extent of the damage. You’re the ones who’ve ensured that our limited supplies reach those who really need them most.”

　　After an entire afternoon of visits, we identified a total of 138 families facing particularly severe hardships. Among them were elderly single individuals in their eighties, orphaned and disabled children who had lost both parents, and injured people with mobility impairments who couldn't afford medical treatment. We carried topical medications with us, and whenever we encountered injured individuals with limited mobility, we provided them with basic medical care. We distributed medicines to them and carefully explained how to use them properly. During our investigation, we found that most of the affected people had already been resettled. However, given the widespread nature of the disaster, there are still many areas requiring assistance before life can return to normal—everything from housing and livelihoods to access to healthcare and education. This underscores the need for streamlined, agile social relief organizations to join forces with the national rescue efforts and carry out practical, on-the-ground assistance in even the most remote corners of the affected regions. During our visits, one resident told us that thanks to support from various sources, most of the disaster victims had now received aid. Yet, elderly singletons, orphans, and disabled individuals without family support—and who themselves lacked the ability to seek help—could only be discovered and truly assisted by teams like ours, which make personal, door-to-door visits. Hearing these words deeply moved us. They made us realize the true value of this kind of grassroots rescue approach. These words also inspired us to keep going with our relief efforts, bringing Tibetan medical care and disaster relief supplies directly to those who need them most.

　　The weather today was particularly bad—there was a sandstorm that lasted for hours, and in the evening, it started raining again. The temperature also dropped sharply. Despite the inclement weather, the outpatient clinic was unusually busy. By 8 p.m., when we finished work, the number of patients seen had already reached 203. Many of these patients were returning for follow-up visits after running out of their previous medications. They expressed high praise for both the effectiveness of our treatments and our professional ethics.

　　After dinner, following everyone’s deliberation and discussion, we made plans for tomorrow’s work:

　　The medical team is providing regular medical services as usual. Due to a shortage of staff, no dedicated personnel have been assigned for logistical support; therefore, all team members were mobilized this morning to contact over 100 households—40 in Ado Township, 15 in Xiaoshang Village, Juela Township, and 22 in Sahute Town—comprising more than 100 individuals from the “three lonely groups” (lonely elderly, orphans, and people with disabilities living alone). Supplies will be distributed starting at 1:30 p.m.