Highlighting 4 Hospitalized Children with Varying Degrees of Congenital Heart DiseaseChildren with congenital heart disease often have a bluish discoloration of the skin, resulting from inadequate oxygenation of the blood. This symptom, called cyanosis, is most obviously seen in severe cases of the disease. This lack of oxygen can cause visible changes to the extremities of children’s little bodies.
Today, we’re highlighting 4 hospitalized children with varying degrees of congenital heart disease. According to their motto - “Love, truth, and service to community” - Xingyang Volunteer Federation works to enhance people’s sense of social responsibility through providing them various volunteer opportunities. The office is in Xingyang, Henan province. It has been 4 years since I joined Xingyang Volunteer Federation. It is a team that dedicate loves and serve other people. We learned differently from each activity. However, I experienced happiness that I had never had from hair cut activity for senior citizens at the end of 2014. The weather was lovely. Some volunteers were cutting hair for some senior citizens at the corridor of the first and some senior citizens were chatting in the warm sunlight. One of my co-workers and I were cutting nails for them. They were comfortable to our services and we usually chatted with them with their interested topics when we were cutting nails One of the senior citizens asked me to cut feet nails for him. He said he had goat toes. I was wondering and surprised when I took off his shoes and stocks. He got serious onychomycosis, dark grey, thick, long and bending, looking like goat horns, which could not be removed by normal nail cutter. When I was wondering how to handle this situation, Sisi came over. There’s a vivid scene. Sisi took the cutter and cut carefully. It looks more like shoving the nails. I was secretly saying Jiayou to him. With a position, the goat toes were done bit by bit. The senior citizen kept saying thank you while wearing his stocks and shoes. He said he could walk comfortably. Another less old senior citizens came for nails’ cutting. He is mute and Sisi cut the nails patiently for him. The senior citizens gave Sisi a lot of praises. I could not help admiring him. I was happy to see they were happy about our services. The talking made us closer. We were thinking of our parents. When they are getting old, they still have someone to talk with. Isn’t it a kind of happiness? Walking out of the nursing home, we still thought of smiles, jokes and plain words. The reward was 2 words—thank you, but we got more than this—the open and happy chat with them.
According to their motto - “Love, truth, and service to community” - Xingyang Volunteer Federation works to enhance people’s sense of social responsibility through providing them various volunteer opportunities. The office is in Xingyang, Henan province.
What we knew about volunteers are some people offering their time to do something good. For years, we found more and more volunteers around us. They help people with different ways. They are happy to provide helps to needy persons. They are from different sectors with different ages, but they have one thing in common—kind and helpful. I would like to tell 2 stories about volunteers that moved me a lot. We all know an important activity in our annual meeting is to raise money for a 16-year-old girl with leukemia. Her name is Zhang Xue. We learned from Xiang Qi, a volunteer, that they family had sold everything for her illness. Life is so difficult for them. They do not have money to buy food and 3 meals became a big problem for the family. They cannot eat full every day. I was wondering how a family cannot eat full, Xiang Qi and I decided to visit the family. Zhang Xue is 16, but she got leukemia unfortunately. She is optimistic though she has been tortured by the illness. As everyone knows the treatment for leukemia is expensive. For the family is poor, the treatment has to be limited. The main treatment is chemotherapy, but it has to spend about 28000RMB for once. Expenses for 8 times of treatment have nowhere to find. On January 27, 2015, Zhang Xue has to take chemotherapy again. Xiang Qi has been helping her to coordinate money for her treatment. He has raised 13000RMB. He contacted media and reported the situation of the girl. About 20000RMB has been raised. However, his wife got cerebral infarction and was admitted by hospital not long ago. Even so, he was busy for raising money for Zhang Xue. He went to hospital for many times during Zhang Xue was in hospital. He never complained and what he has done or said was respectable. He is humble and does everything he can to help people. With the support of TFish, the project aims to support with micro loans to housewives from a poverty-stricken village in Huining county, Gansu province. It will promote income and provide development opportunities to women in the villages.
Everywhere showed dried and deserted in winter in Huining county. Only in spring, green comes out of earth day by day, bringing wonderful lives. In the early of November, 2014, we visited villagers for micro loans in Lucha village with 2 staff from Little Red Scarf. We surveyed on basic situations as family economic income, role of female, development hopes and possible ways to increase income, etc. We did brief exchange with women who just came back from fields. As a traditional village, women were confined to the family chores and men work outside of the village. Wife and husband take different responsibilities at home. Cook always one of jobs that a woman has to take in a family, so it is impossible to decide who will cook or wash dishes by throwing a coin. It is a fixed situation in a village family for male and female. For 24 hours a day, men and women are busy for their own jobs. Some who are left in the villages do plantations or cultivation to generate income. Female takes more chores. Before meals, men can take a rest while women are busy in the kitchens. We hope our visit can help to bring some developments to the women in the village, providing learning opportunities or alternative skills to generate income to them. It’s March and spring, we got support for our micro loans from TFish. In the following days, we hope to provide more helps to more mothers. Original article written by Cunjun Ma, translated by Maggie Li, and edited by Yanyan Zhang According to their motto - “Love, truth, and service to community” - Xingyang Volunteer Federation works to enhance people’s sense of social responsibility through providing them various volunteer opportunities. The office is in Xingyang, Henan province.
At 8 o’clock of February 2, our group of 4 set out to Guangwu, bringing out greetings for Chinese New Year. Out first stop was a poor family in migrant village. The woman of the family seemed puzzled when she saw us. When we told our purpose and gave her rice and food oil, she was moved and kept saying, “thank you, that’s very kind of you!” Then we visited 7 households in different villages. They were very happy to see us and reluctant to see us leaving. When the villagers knew we were going to visit Wei’s family, they warned us to be careful. We were curious about their warnings. We found the wife of Wei is mentally disordered. She would hurt people with knife. Sometimes Wei had to hide from her at internet café. We contacted with village chief, hoping to find him and visit his home. The scene is sad. There’s no a piece of furniture. Even the pots or bowls were broken. Wei could not go out to find work, for he had to take care of his wife. Life is really difficult for them. We were sorry for such situation when we were leaving. On the way back, we discussed about our help which just helped him a while, and it could not help him to get rid of difficulty. We hope our help could encourage him. We should find more sustain ways to people in difficult situations. Original article written by Chunli Liu, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang Little Red Scarf is in Lanzhou, Gansu and Yunnan province and provides financial support and encouragement to children suffering from congenital heart disease. In addition, they provide families with post-operative care and help the children sustain a healthy lifestyle. To Story of Xiao Song (1) On October 23, 2014, Xiao Song could not accept surgery at cardiology department due to aortic straddles. He was discharged and the doctors arranged surgery for him at Cardiac Surgery Department in December. On December 15, 2014, Xiao Song came to hospital. Xiao Song seemed not so shy when I saw him again. Though we could not understand each other because of different dialects, I could see he is a lively and naughty child. There was no bed available in Cardiac Surgery Department, so he was arranged to stay at pediatrics observation room temporarily. After finishing hospital formalities, Xiao Song’s father took out a bag of walnuts and gave it to me. I declined with thanks and left the hospital. When I was waiting for the traffic lights at the cross road, his father caught up me and insisted I should accept the walnuts which were grown by the family. For the following days, I was always invited to have lunch with them when I visited them. Though I declined with many thanks, I understood it’s a plain way to express their kindness and warmth. As Yi people, their best way to show their hospitality to their guests is to offer the best they have. The temperature dropped low during the next day in Kunming. When I met them in the hospital, they just came back from shopping. Xiao Song’s parents were wearing the same clothes as the day before. They were wearing slippers with bare feet. I looked at what they had bought. There’s a bag of bread and a pair of cotton slipper, which were for Xiao Song. They would like to give their child the best though they do not have much. That’s what parents always do for their children. Xiao Song could not waiting wearing the slippers. His mother smiled. Xiao Song was coughing in October when he was at hospital. He did not get better in December. Maybe his resistance is weak because of congenital heart disease. Little Red Scarf decided to buy a box of milk to him, hoping he could intake more nutrition and prepare for the coming surgery. On December 22, 2014, Xiao Song was referred to Cardiac Surgery Department. Foreign experts and doctors discussed his case and planned surgery. Due to respiratory tract infection and other factors, his surgery could not be operated by foreign expert. It’s the end of a year, so the reimbursement of medical insurance required Xiao Song to settle the bills. The family had to pay for some of the charges. The family did not have money to pay. After discussing with doctor Sun, the hospital agreed the family to pay later. Xiao Song’s father finally felt relieved. Think of the maternal love we just celebrated this Mother's Day—warmth…commitment… nurture…care. TFish Fund presents an opportunity for you to give that same kind of love and care to families in Gansu who need your help. Adopt a FamilyWith your support, TFish Fund has already helped at least 1,000 children get the treatment they need for their congenital heart disease. While successful treatment opens up new possibilities for these families, they still have felt needs. Our goal has always been to sponsor their surgery and then to follow up with post-surgery care, particularly with efforts to relieve poverty. We’re inviting you to adopt a family in Gansu for a year. Each of these families struggles to meet their basic needs, and your support will empower them toward overcoming poverty. Mother’s Day was the launch of this new program, which is run in-house by our own staff in Lanzhou. It will help the families become more self-sustaining in the future. Develop a Long-Term RelationshipAdopt a family for a year, and at the end of the year, we’ll send you a letter to show the impact of your donation, how it was used effectively and responsibly. We hope your commitment to your adopted family will continue even beyond a year. We’ll send you an annual update on the family if you choose to sponsor long-term. You can also speak with our local staff who visits the family. We welcome your questions and any messages you’d like to relay to the family. We’ll be a bridge to help you and your adopted family connect for a long-term relationship. Personally experience how your investment changes lives and touches hearts. Choose a FamilyThroughout the year we will introduce more of the 1,000 post-CHD surgery families who need ongoing support. To start with, TFish invites you to adopt one of these first 8 families. Our staff have suggested a donation amount according to each family’s needs, but any amount is welcome. Committed Love Keeps GivingJust like a mother’s sacrificial love keeps giving for the good of her children, your ongoing support is transformational for these children. Help the next generation break the cycle of poverty, one family at a time.
Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity! Hope your family enjoyed a wonderful Mother’s Day! This Mother's Day, consider adopting a family in western China and help transform lives. Learn more...Greetings! This is Carolyn Der, TFish Fund’s new Communications Officer. I am excited to join the team, especially as we launch the new Adopt a Family campaign this Mother’s Day!
As Mother’s Day approaches, think of the maternal love this holiday celebrates—warmth…commitment… nurture…care. TFish Fund presents an opportunity for you to give that same kind of love and care to families in Gansu who need your help. Adopt a Family With your support, TFish has already helped at least 1,000 children get the treatment they need for their congenital heart disease. While successful treatment opens up new possibilities for these families, they still have felt needs. Our goal has always been to sponsor their surgery and then to follow up with post-surgery care, particularly with efforts to relieve poverty. We’re inviting you to adopt a family in Gansu for a year. Each of these families struggles to meet their basic needs, and your support will empower them toward overcoming poverty. Mother’s Day is the launch of this new program, which is run in-house by our own staff in Lanzhou. It will help the families become more self-sustaining in the future. Yufeng’s Recovery Yufeng used to have a hard time just climbing hills and would feel tightness in his chest and shortness of breath. After his surgery, he no longer has any problems with climbing hills. Two Brothers at School Yufeng is a sophomore at Yanguan Second High School. His school provides free living quarters, and his meals cost 15 yuan a day, which totals 3,500 yuan a year. Yufeng’s younger brother is an eighth grader at Qishan Middle School and rents a house near school with his classmates for 700 yuan a year. He brings rice, flour, and cooking oil from home and uses a kerosene stove to cook. The two brothers spend nearly 10,000 yuan a year. Family is Tight-Knit, Hard-Working 20-year-old Xiaowen lives with his parents and older sister. Although the family is impoverished, they are very close and the parents are very loving. Xiaowen’s parents would rather live hard lives themselves than to subject their children to worse living conditions. The parents try to save as much money as they can to support the tuition and living costs of their two children, which is the biggest family expense. Farming Isn’t Enough
The family’s livelihood comes from about an acre of land. Each year they plant some common crops such as wheat and corn. The land itself is not enough to feed the family. So each year during the non-farming season, the father and mother find work elsewhere. The father usually finds a place close to home and does miscellaneous work, so he can both take care of the land and make a little extra money, around 3,000 yuan per year. The mother goes to Xinjiang after harvest season to pick cotton. She earned 6,000 yuan last year, but this source of income is unreliable and changes each year according to the working conditions. Last year, the family rented some land and earned 5,000 yuan from planting medicinal plants. These two sources of income helped the parents feel a little better because they could pay back a part of their debt during the Lunar New Year. |
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