Delek receives liver transplant surgery in the hospital on Jan 24. [Photo/CCTV News]

 

Jan.29, 2024 -- In case of ineffective communication, Chen Xiaoquan, a physician in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, posted an online message seeking voluntary Mandarin-Tibetan interpreters before a Tibetan mother flew over 2,000 kilometers to his hospital in order to seek medical treatment for her 10-month-old baby.

 

To his surprise, the help request has received overwhelming responses. After less than a minute, the first response rang. For just one night, Chen had received over 500 calls from strangers willing to offer help, People's Daily reported.

 

The baby patient Delek (pseudonym), whose family lives in Changdu, Xizang autonomous region, was diagnosed with congenital biliary atresia and a liver transplantation was suggested.

 

The child's illness has worried the mother Drolma (pseudonym) very much. She said it was the first time she had heard about these two medical terms.

 

Later, she got in touch with a mother through the internet whose child had received a liver transplant and recovered well. From her and a chat group where people share experiences of seeking treatment, she was informed about the liver transplantation surgery team at the Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou.

 

 

 

Drolma contacted Chen, a member of the medical team at the hospital and decided to go to Hangzhou despite the distance to save her baby son.

 

In the evening on Jan 18, Drolma, holding her son in her arms, arrived at the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. At the same time, medical staff from the hospital and an ambulance had already waited at the airport to pick up the mother and son.

 

"I have never traveled this far before, and am not familiar with Hangzhou at all. I felt unsure at first," said Drolma. "It was completely unexpected to see the doctors waiting at the exit. At that moment I felt very touched."

 

In the previous communications, Chen found that Delek's parents could not speak mandarin fluently, which made it difficult for them to talk with the doctors, possibly causing problems in subsequent communications.

 

That's why on Jan 17, a day before the appointment, Chen sent a help request seeking Mandarin-Tibetan interpreters online.

 

People from different walks of life contacted him: Tibetan teachers, university students, and even tour guides and homestay owners, all of whom wanted to help.

 

At last, a group of Tibetan university students in Hangzhou formed a team to perform translation works online. They said, during Delek's treatment in Hangzhou, they could offer online service at any time.

 

The hospital also invited a doctor mastering both Tibetan and medical terms, in order to support the operation and meet other needs.

 

 

 

"The infant's situation looks unoptimistic and the liver transplantation may be the last hope for him," the hospital said after conducting comprehensive medical examinations for Delek.

 

The surgery was scheduled on Jan 22. When Delek was wheeled to the surgery room, the mother filmed a clip of video and sent it to the father in Changdu.

 

"His father didn't sleep since that night and kept praying for the son," said the mother.

 

According to the chief surgeon, professor Wang Weilin, Delek's organs and veins were smaller and thinner than normal, as he was too young and had delayed development, which increased surgical difficulty.

 

Finally, at 7:45 pm after six hours of operation, the surgery successfully finished. At present, Delek's transplanted liver is in stable function and he has been transferred to the pediatric general ward.

 

The story of Delek has moved many netizens. They commented what they felt was not the chillness of winter, but the warmth from the whole Hangzhou.