LRS Care: Visit after Surgery—Mother and Son Own Healthy Hearts

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.

On November 30, 2012, the staff of LRS got to know Juhua, a mother from a poor family at Lanzhou University Hospital. She was suffering from congenital heart disease and admitted by the hospital. She is the beneficiary of Care Mother Program of LRS. This March, she came to the hospital for physical check and told us her son was not feeling well, with symptoms of nausea and getting cold regularly. She said after spending the Chinese New Year and paid the costs of her re-examination in hospital, the family also spent their savings.

Considering Juhua could not do much field work after the surgery, her husband came back from the city. Their son had not been feeling well for a while, so her husband took their son to see a doctor in Lanzhou. The doctor checked the child’s digestive system which showed fine, so they went back home.

A year later, the event was almost forgotten until we received a call in the end of November. Juhua told us her son was admitted in the same hospital where she received surgery. Her son was even arranged to the same bed. They applied serious disease pension from the civil bureau of Gansu. 

Juhua before the surgery

Juhua after the surgery

The next day, we visited Juhua and Ya Jun, her eldest son in the hospital. This time, Juhua took care of her son. Her son seemed shy for the first time to see us. Juhua was somehow depressed. She was sad in thinking of the same painfulness that her son had to face after the surgery. Her son is thrifty and saved his pocket money and bought a bicycle with money saved from bus fees. There’s a story behind the bike. Her son was saving 4 RMB used for buying vegetables at school every week. His younger brother thought he had used the money at internet café, so his younger brother told their parents. He had to tell the truth to the family. Juhua and her husband were upset and they decided to buy a bicycle to their son. Since then, her son went to and fro school by bike no matter rain or fine. Riding the bicycle, he took the food for the whole week for his younger brother and him to school every week. To save money, his brother lived at school and did not go back home on weekends, so became messenger for his brother.

Juhua always felt guilty to talk of bicycle story. There are two elderly people in the family who are in bad health and need to be taken care of. Sometimes, the family missed the needs of the children. Ya Jun is thoughtful. Knowing he would accept surgery, he did not want his parents to worry and comfort his mother. He said to his mother, “don’t worry and I will make through it.” His parents were deeply moved.

Juhua’s son accepted surgery of transcatheter closure on November 29. He is young and the wound is small, so Ya Jun recovered soon. We sent nourishments to him in the hospital one month after the surgery. We had been visiting him since he was hospitalized. We also hoped we could sent support and encouragement mentally to Juhua. According to the doctor, Juhua and her husband were relieved to know the conditions of their son.

On the 5th day after the surgery, Ya Jun went back home. We wish a good health for Juhua and her son. We believe Ya Jun will love his mother more after experiencing the same. 

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

Ya Jun before the surgery

Ya Jun after surgery with Juhua and his father. Juhua looks much healthier.