LRS Care: Visit after Surgery – Story of Dongdong

Dongdong was 11 when he accepted the surgery

Little Red Scarf is in Lanzhou, Gansu 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.

Dongdong was 11 when he accepted the surgery. 4 years passed, and we would like to know the current situation of him as well as the changes brought to the family. The family changed the cell phone number, so we lost contact with them for a while. Fortunately, we finally got their number via Teacher Guan’s relatives. It was a surprise, so we visited Dongdong on December 10, 2013. 

Hearing the sound of the vehicle, Dongdong’s mother came and met us. The car we rented is bright red and seemed striking with the yellow earth background.  

We arrived at Dongdong’s home. His grandma was sitting in the yard and doing housework. Her daughter-in-law told her we are from LRC. She asked her daughter-in-law to help her up and invited us to into the room. 

We saw this little toy panda when coming into the room. Dongdong’s mother said it was given by an American supporter when he was in hospital. The children in the village like it, but she did not allow them to take it. It is important for the family and it more likes a memory. “Looking at the panda, we would think of people who helped us”, her mother said. We showed his mother the picture taken before the surgery. His mother seemed a little excited. It’s not easy to identify, as 4 years have passed and he was wearing nebulizer in the picture. 

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At 12:00, mother began to prepare lunch for Dongdong as he would be back in half hour. He is a happy child, for he can eat hot meals when he comes home. A student was walking with a bicycle toward the house. I took the picture, thinking if he is Dongdong we wanted to see.It’s him. Looking at the big boy standing in front of us, we hardly could relate the little boy in the picture with him. 

Dongdong told us the weak little boy in the picture is him. He was in ICU then. He browsed the photo album excitedly. He also recognized Mr. and Mrs. Zhao in the picture who had supported him for the surgery. He still remembered they visited him in the hospital and brought the little panda for him. 

4 years have passed, the family changed a lot. His parents work hard and kind. From the neat and clean rooms, we sensed the virtuousness of the hostess. His father has been working in the city and his mother does field work and housework. The family not only grows more fields, but helps to hoe and transplant in the village. With the hard work of the parents, the old house was renovated. We felt the sincerity and plain of the family.  With the influence of the parents, Dongdong became a boy with a loving heart. He would help people taking more stuff when they pass the door of the house. A small kind behavior shows a loving heart and the seed sowed by the loving heart will definitely sprout and grow up. We wish all the best and good health to the family. 

Original article written by Yujue Yun, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang

4 years later, Dongdong is a healthy teenage.

Dongdong with his mother and grandma