Jiuzhaigou sees a glimmer of hope as life goes on

As the 7.0-magnitude earthquake rattled her hometown, Li Hongxia felt an excruciating pain in her stomach – she’s about to give birth.

At the age of 43, and already mother of a 12-year-old son, Li was considered a high-risk patient. And she’s probably not the most cooperative one either. Liu is a doctor at the ENT department of Jiuzhaigou People’s Hospital. As her colleagues decided on an emergency C-section on the night of the earthquake, she made a decision to hold out the surgery till next morning. 

“She said the quake victims needed all the medical resources available,” said her sister, Li Hongchao. She’s still not well enough to be interviewed after the surgery. “She didn't want to get in the way.”

She was right. The tremor cut off power and communications. As doctors voluntarily rushed to the hospital, they were all but overwhelmed by the casualties. Up until Friday night, the toll stood at 24 killed and 493 injured. 

For Li Hongxia, “patients above herself” was perhaps a doctor’s instinct. That’s why as soon as labor started, she knew their baby’s father was not going to be around to look after them. Her husband, Zuo Guoping, is the president and orthopedics expert of the nearby China Tibet Hospital. In the wake of a deadly disaster, it’s his duty above family.

When we visited him on Friday morning, his office was packed with patients. He said this is a “slow day” in the post-quake hospital. On the night of the tremor, Zuo conducted six operations in 10 hours. He worked through the second morning without knowing he had just had a little girl. 

“I love my family so much,” he said. “But when you’re conducting a surgery, this is just not something that you think about. certainly not!”

He named his daughter An An, which means peace or safety. “The safety of my wife and daughter is the greatest blessing,” he said.

A handful more babies have been born after An An. Their families were overwhelmed with joy in the hospital wards. Natural disasters may be merciless, but their resilience is raising hope that life here will eventually return to normal.