The world of Tzu Chi March 2020(Vol.120)

I was born and bred in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China. Prior to retirement, I used to work at a textile mill and owned a printing shop. I was searching for a meaningful pursuit to spend my after-work hours when I was introduced to Tzu Chi by a friend. Since then, I started attending study group sessions and volunteer training courses. I was certified as a Tzu Chi Commissioner in 2016. Most of the Wuhan-based volunteers are employed in full-time day jobs, while I have relatively more free time as a retiree, so I would eagerly volunteer for home visits to care recipients during weekdays. In late October 2019, my fellow volunteers and I offered care to a heart patient from Fujian Province, who was referred to the Wuhan Union Hospital for a heart transplant. The patient, Jian Hui was fortunate to have received a suitable donor heart soon after arriving in Wuhan. My fellow volunteers and I gave Jian Hui a sendoff at the Hankou Railway Station after he was discharged from the hospital on January 19, 2020. We were wearing face masks, as we had Written by Zeng Lan (Tzu Chi volunteer from Wuhan, Hubei Province) Translated by Choo Suet Fun Wuhan-based Tzu Chi volunteer Zeng Lan chronicles her observations of her native city plagued by fears of the novel coronavirus, as well as moments of solidarity in her heart-warming encounter with a heart transplant patient and his family. Standing together with Wuhan done every time we visited Jian Hui following the operation. The railway station was bustling with travellers and homebound out-of-towners with luggage in tow. The weather is frigid in Wuhan – at least 10ºC lower than Fujian. Jian Hui was still weak from the operation and the escalating severity of the Covid-19 outbreak posed a considerable risk to his health; he must not fall ill at this critical time. I presented him with my daughter’s rarely-worn black down jacket, which fitted him surprisingly well. Clad in the jacket, he happily boarded the train for home. A city-wide lockdown was imposed on Wuhan from January 23, 2020 onwards. Jian Hui and his mother, who had returned to Fujian from Wuhan, quarantined themselves at home and sent me a message to assure me that all is well, besides declaring his wish to contribute a donation in support of Wuhan. Jian Hui was in the midst of recovering from a major operation, his father is mentally ill while his mother earns a meagre income from her housekeeping jobs, yet the family was eature 2020 • 03 12