Reunion of nurse, 2008 Wenchuan quake survivor after 15 years

Xinhua

Fifteen years after the 8-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province in 2008, Qu Haiwang, one of the medics who rushed to the disaster area, returned to the then epicenter Wenchuan County to meet with the boy she had rescued.

On Tuesday, without much grief and lamentation, Qu, the 54-year-old nurse of Peking University First Hospital in Beijing, was glad to see Bai Lexiao, the then 13-year-old quake survivor, has grown into a sturdy adult who is now even taller than she is.

But their memory of the deadly disaster was still vivid.

It was May 12, 2008, when the fatal quake hit Wenchuan, killing nearly 70,000 people and leaving nearly 18,000 missing. Bai, who was a junior school freshman at Muyu Middle School, Qingchuan County, Guangyuan City of Sichuan, lost his left arm in the disaster.

On Bai's way to a hospital in Chengdu, the provincial capital, Qu was the nurse in charge of his transfer. "Xiaoxiao (a friendly way of addressing of Bai) was almost the same age as my own child. Despite losing his left arm at such a young age, he was so tough and optimistic. His spirit has continued to encourage me even till today," Qu recalled.

Qu offered the heavily injured boy an ice cream bar on the ambulance as it was a blistering hot day. Having been lying on the bed for days, Bai felt relieved thanks to the icy gift. Qu left her name and working unit in the boy's palm, so that Bai may be able to find her one day – a likely reunion became their secret promise.

After Bai graduated from high school, his father once took him to Qu's hospital for medical treatment. But that encounter by chance can hardly be called a reunion.

This time, Qu revisited Wenchuan County for an on-site clinic trip, providing voluntary medical service for locals in Shuimo Township of Wenchuan. The trip made their formal reunion possible, 15 years after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

After a warm hug, the two old friends strolled leisurely along the streets of Shuimo ancient town, chatting about their changes in work and hobbies over the years.

"Now, my dear Xiaoxiao is working in the cross-border e-commerce sector. He has a girlfriend now and he is still very cheerful and optimistic. I feel so relieved," said Qu.

She is about to retire next year, but the medic will not forget about the warm welcome she received in Wenchuan during the trip and vows to come back after retirement.

"The same kind of Bai's spirit can be spotted everywhere in Sichuan – Toughness, optimism and passion. All the people, no matter acquaintances or strangers, greeted us with great thankfulness," she said.

"They have never forgotten their gratitude to the medics who had helped them in the disaster. Though for me, all I had done was my duty," Qu added.