LRS: Returning Visit-Binyan

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.

In 2011, funded  by Little Red Scarf, 8-year-old Binyan was hospitalized because of congenital heart disease.  The surgery was successful.We’d like to find out how has been Binyan’s life, schooling and family, 4 years after the surgery? We visited Binyan on March 17.

Although Binyan’s family lives in the rural area of Gansu province, but it is not in the mountains.  It is about 15 minutes away from the town nearby and the traffic is rather convenient.  Binyan was in the 3rd grade at the time of surgery.  She took one year off from school and now is in the 5th grade.  At noon, we saw Binyan in the distance on her way back home from school.  She smiled when she noticed us.  Her high spirit and joyful appearance immediately encouraged all of us.

Binyan told us that she recovered really well.  The wound from surgery healed  well and looks smooth.  She feels great even under cloudy, snowing weather.  She can jump rope for 160 rounds per minute in school physical education.  When it comes to academic performance, she was a little shy.  She was ranked 25 in a class of 46 students.  English and Chinese are her favorite subjects.

Binyan’s family has 8 people.  Her mom suffered from schizophrenia for over a dozen years.  During this time, her mom was on medication to maintain emotional stability.  She usually stays at home cooking and doing laundry.  Binyan’s 15-year-old elder sister was unable to keep up in school.  She quit schooling after graduated from junior high and stayed at home helping house chores.   Since their house is under renovation, they lived at neighbor’s house as a temporary arrangement.  Binyan’s family has 5 acres of  land,  planted 150 pear trees, over 70 apple trees.  Because her father works outside in town all the time, the farm work usually relies on her grandpa to take care.

Binyan and  her younger sister are in the same school.  She is at a 4th grade.  They go to school together and play together at home. They are 3 years apart. Her sister weighs more that Binyan.  Child with congenital heart disease normally appears skinnier than their peers.

Binyan on 2011

Binyan grows up a lot after 3 years

Binyan with her siblings

Binyan's family built a new house

Binyan’s father is a diligent, honest farmer. In the past few years, his hard work brought quite some positive changes to the family.  He told us he was so relieved and able to focus on his work outside of the home after Binyan’s illness was cured.   He feels he is still young, diligent.  And there is nothing to be afraid of as long as no one in the family gets sick.   Although Binyan's mother is still under medication, but her condition has improved a lot and stabilized.  These days, seeing his 4 children grow up in good health and happiness, no matter how hard the work might be, he feels the future is bright.

Binyan’s  father works in town doing brick job from March to October every year. Many of the rural families worked in town during off-season from the farm.Have you ever thought about what you can do with 0.015 yuan?   Binyan's father earns 0.015 yuan per brick which he delivered to the job site and laid.  He handles 6,000 bricks a day on average.  If the weather is good, he can manage 7,000 bricks a day.

Through years of hard work, the family built a house this year and will be ready for move-in by the end of June.    Although they’re  50,000 yuan in debt due to this new construction, Binyan’s father is confident that he can pay off the debt in three years.With sincere blessings from Little Red Scarf, we wish their lives will get better and better.

Binyan also wrote a letter showing her appreciation to all those who helped and below is the translation in English :

“Thanks to uncles, aunts who cared me:  When I was in my 3rd grade, I was diagnosed of congenital heart disease.  I had no idea what it was back then.  Father took me to a hospital in Tien-Suei and doctors told us were unable to treat this.   Then father took me to LanZhou military general  hospital, received the best treatment and they cured my heart disease.  Three years later after the surgery, I still clearly remember the care I received from uncles and aunts in the LanZhou military general hospital.  Most important of all is the caring love from my father.

"I want to thank you for your help and my gratitude to you will be forever."

Original article written by Aiju Chang , translated by Joe Hsu, edited by Yanyan Zhang