Returned to China at the age of 37, joined the Party at the age of 95, and fought leprosy for a lifetime——
She changed the fate of 100,000 people
Heroes are the most shining coordinates of the nation.
“To dedicate the best years to the motherland”, when she was 37 years old, she resolutely threw herself into the embrace of the motherland;
“My goal is to completely defeat leprosy.” She used her footsteps to measure the length of the leprosy prevention and control front in Yunnan, and constantly solved the key problems of leprosy prevention;
“I will strive to dedicate to one hundred years old.” At the age of 95, she was approved to join the Communist Party of China and became a reserve member. Now 100 years old, she is still fighting on the front line of leprosy prevention and treatment.
She is a world-renowned leprosy prevention expert, Li Huanying, a researcher at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, and Beijing Institute of Tropical Medicine.
From the “warrior warrior” in the eyes of the Chinese people to the “Mama Li” in the mouth of leprosy patients, the spiritual coordinate of Li Huanying’s benevolence has become more and more shining.
“If I can live to be 100 years old, 5% of my life can be a glorious person in the party”
“Over the past year, I have not slackened in the slightest, but strictly demanded myself according to the standards of a party member… I sincerely filed an application for conversion to the organization for review by the party organization.”
On the afternoon of December 26, 2017, 96-year-old Professor Li Huanying put on a big red scarf. He became a member of the Communist Party of China and became a member of the Communist Party of China.
“I don’t regret going back to my country, and I don’t regret working on leprosy prevention… I want to devote my limited days to unlimited work.” The old man earnestly reported his thoughts during the preparatory period to the party organization word by word. The voice is full of the confidence that has been polished by the years, and the red scarf and the party flag on the neck are very bright and vivid.
During the preparation period this year, Li Huanying still struggled on the front line. At the beginning of 2017, she quietly packed and prepared to leave for Yunnan again. She was worried about the cured leprosy patients, and even more worried about the pathogenesis of leprosy that had not yet been solved. “My health is fine, just to see if the patient’s condition has relapsed, and whether their relatives have potential infections.”
Just as she promised to the party flag in 2016: “If I can live to 100 years old, there will be 5% of my life to become a glorious person in the party, more determined to follow the party, and continue to fight for the cause of medicine!”
Li Huanying, born in Beijing in 1921, studied at Johns Hopkins University in the United States in 1946. After graduation, she became the first official after the establishment of the World Health Organization. She served in the World Health Organization for 7 years and was sent to Asia. Many countries in the Americas have made efforts to prevent the spread of venereal diseases and other diseases in poor and backward areas.
In 1957, when Li Huanying’s 7-year working term for the World Health Organization expired, the World Health Organization offered to renew her contract for about 5 years. She politely declined, hiding from her family, and detouring to London alone. After several setbacks, in 1958 Returned to the motherland from Moscow.
At the age of 37, she returned to Beijing after a long absence and was assigned to the Institute of Dermatology and Venereology of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences to carry out “Treponema pallidum immobilization test” and “leprosy antigen detection”.
At that time, the laboratory equipment was rudimentary, and Li Huanying successfully extracted the Leprosy Lipid Antigen (PGL) made by his own self-reliance using indigenous methods. She and her colleagues first experimented on themselves. So far, Li Huanying still has visible scars on her left and right arms.
In 1970, Li Huanying visited a leprosy village in Jiangsu Province. Here, she saw a leper for the first time. Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacillus leprosy, which mainly invades the skin and peripheral nerves. It has always been a discriminatory and disabling “incurable disease”.
Since there was no effective medicine for leprosy at that time, the most humane treatment was to drive them to a remote place and let them fend for themselves. This scene stung Li Huanying: “I returned to China to help my compatriots in the motherland!”
Li Huanying decided to conquer leprosy.
In 1978, Li Huanying was transferred to Beijing Friendship Hospital and Beijing Institute of Tropical Medicine as a researcher. Since then, the 57-year-old has devoted all her energy to the prevention and research of leprosy. She combined advanced foreign treatment methods with China’s reality, and took the lead in launching short-term combined chemotherapy and a special action plan to eradicate leprosy after taking the drug for 24 months, which solved the problem of leprosy treatment, which is tens of thousands of leprosy The patient relieved his suffering.
In 1996, Li Huanying took the lead in launching the leprosy elimination campaign in China, and for the first time proposed the model of combining the vertical prevention and treatment of leprosy with the grassroots prevention and control network, which was called “the best treatment in the world.”
“Many people have asked me why I chose to return to China after I have left the motherland for so many years? I didn’t hesitate to tell them, because I am Chinese and cannot forget my roots.”
Li Huanying said: “I have only one purpose when I return to China. I can apply what I have learned to the place where I was born and raised. I am worthy of being a Chinese.”
“You are the best at the world‘s leprosy prevention and control site work!”
In the spring of 1979, Li Huanying went to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan for the first time to investigate the condition of leprosy. At that time, there were more than a dozen leprosy villages in three counties of Xishuangbanna. In the past, due to the lack of specific drugs and the fear, discrimination and prejudice against leprosy in society, leprosy patients endured both physical and mental torture.
“The biggest obstacle facing leprosy is discrimination!” In order to draw closer to the leprosy patient, Li Huanying did not wear any protective clothing or mask, went to the house to check the patient, and even always shook hands, embraced and slapped the shoulders when meeting with the patient.
Due to the long-term disease torment and distance from the crowd, people in the village lack confidence in treatment, and it is difficult to adapt to the treatment requirements of taking medicines on time and according to the amount. Some patients even abandon themselves and throw the medicines sent into the pond.
Li Huanying heard that she was very anxious, and she personally delivered the medicine to her door. After a long time, the villagers in the village all said: “There is a female doctor in the village, not afraid of leprosy!”
“We as doctors have no fear. I have traveled all over the world, and fear is not a problem for me. I even wish I was infected-let you see with your own eyes that I can cure it!”
Li Huanying also teaches lepers to wear shoes. “In the morning and in the evening, you have to do this.” He put his hand into the dirty shoes that the patient had just taken off, “feel for sand and nails before putting them on.” The hands and feet of leprosy patients are numb, and even the hot brazier does not feel hot. Li Huanying is not afraid of getting dirty, just to teach them how to protect themselves from skin breakage and ulceration.
She used her actions to eliminate everyone’s discrimination against leprosy, and constantly proved to people: Leprosy is a treatable disease, and leprosy patients are not terrible.
For the prevention and treatment of leprosy in our country, the elderly Li Huanying has been traveling for a long time in the impoverished and remote areas of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, 7 prefectures, 59 counties, and almost every village has left her footprints.
Thanks to her efforts, all leprosy patients in Mengla County, Yunnan Province were cured. On the Songkran Festival in 1990, they took off the Leprosy Village hat, and as an administrative village, they were officially classified as an administrative village in Menglun Town. Li Huanying took it for it. The name is “Mannan Xing”, which means “new cottage”. On this day, Li Huanying and the people performed a Dai dance.
In 1998, Li Huanying delivered the “Report on the Implementation of the Special Action Plan for Leprosy Prevention and Control in Yunnan” at the 15th International Leprosy Conference. After the report, there was endless applause. Dr. Noordin, an official of the World Health Organization, held Li Huanying’s hand tightly and said: “You are doing the best job in the prevention and treatment of leprosy around the world!”
“The comfort brought by curing the patient cannot be replaced by any reward.”
“The comfort brought by curing patients cannot be replaced by any reward.” Li Huanying’s care for patients is not only reflected in curing their illnesses, but also in treating them like relatives, always giving them warmth and seeking the best treatment plan for them.
At the end of 1993, a girl in Wenshan County, Yunnan Province was diagnosed with leprosy less than half a year before the college entrance examination. Li Huanying was very anxious when she learned of the situation, and rushed to check her carefully: “Now she has leprosy, it’s like getting a piece of it. Ringworm of the skin loses its infectivity as long as one week of combined chemotherapy. You can study and treat at the same time, and it can be cured for up to two years. Don’t worry.”
Li Huanying also encouraged her to study hard and get admitted to university without giving up on herself. Because there is a drug in the combined chemotherapy that can cause skin staining, Li Huanying worked with the local doctor to design a special treatment plan for the female student, and asked the local doctor to ensure her treatment and not affect her study. After that, Li Huanying still missed the female student and called and wrote letters many times to ask about her situation. Later, the female student was admitted to the university and became a teacher after graduation.
Leprosy is a “poor” disease. Most leprosy patients are in poor family conditions. Li Huanying gives them care and consideration like taking care of their own children.
In March 2007, the Leprosy Room of the Thermal Research Institute received a 24-year-old pony with leprosy. The pony grew up in a family with a high incidence of leprosy. There were 5 people in the family suffering from leprosy. Li Huanying unconditionally accepted five patients from this family to Beijing for free treatment. After two years of treatment, their leprosy has been basically cured. During a follow-up visit, Professor Li Huanying saw that Xiao Ma’s hand had been ruptured and infected, and learned that his family was renting in a bungalow, and their lives were very difficult. “The patient is so young, we must think about his future.” She was anxious and distressed, and immediately took out the 1,000 yuan she had with her and gave them to them.
If you have conditions, you must create conditions to do it. Having practiced medicine for more than 70 years, this is Li Huanying’s style of acting.
On the way into the leprosy area, due to the dangerous high mountain and rugged roads, she was in distress 4 times, overturned 2 times, and capsized 2 times.
The most serious rollover she has ever experienced was more than 10 meters from the front windshield of a rolling car, lying on a hillside covered with thick white snow and fainted. The comrades who were rolling down the slope with the car climbed out of the car and called her loudly. She reacted and repeatedly shouted: “I’m here!” But she couldn’t get up. Li Huanying tilted her head to see that a large patch of red blood was left on the snow. The accident caused her to fracture her clavicles and 3 ribs on both sides, and had 7 stitches stitched on her head trauma. Everyone persuaded her to take a good rest, but she put a thick bandage and cast into a new job.
In 2015, Li Huanying, who was 94 years old, came to Yunnan again despite the walking inconvenience after knee surgery. As soon as they entered the village, those who had been cured of leprosy who had been cured by her were like seeing their relatives. With tears in their eyes, they pounced and shouted: “Mother Li, you are back!” Their children heard the news of Li Huanying’s return. They also asked for leave, rushing back to the village from the city where they were working, just to meet Li Huanying. In their hearts, Li Huanying is the “noble man” who changed their destiny.
(Our reporter Cui Xingyi, our correspondent Peng Li)
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