A Special “Reunion” Held at the Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University
—“Chinese Mother” and “African Daughter” Meet Again After 38 years!
On December 19, a special event took place at the Stomatology Hospital, Wuhan University in Hubei Province, China. The presence of an “African daughter” deeply moved all those in attendance. “A mother and daughter” from different countries, who had been apart for 38 years, were reunited.
This “Chinese mother” is Prof. Li Jinrong, one of the founders of Chinese dentistry, who is 89 years old now.
In 1985, as a part of the 11th group of Chinese doctors sent to Algeria (from Hubei) to provide medical aid, she cared for a young patient named Filouz, whose nose was bitten off by a donkey when she was two years old. Filouz had not received treatment because of the limited medical resources.
Li Jinrong remembered the first time she met Filouz: “She came to get treatment for her stomachache. But when I saw her, I thought, her nose has to be treated! Otherwise, how can this girl go on living with such an injury?”
That’s why the first total nasal reconstruction surgery in Africa, which caused a sensation, was performed. This surgery gave Filouz, a young girl at the time, a completely new lease on life. Over 30 years later, she has become the biggest source of regret and concern for Li Jinrong.
Li Jinrong thought she would never see Filouz again in her lifetime. The distance was too far and she was too old. Little did she know that in a far-off land in Africa, Filouz was also thinking about her with great concern.
Only a day ago, Filouz traveled a long distance from the edge of the Sahara Desert to Wuhan to meet her “Chinese mother”.
“I will always remember her,” says Filouz. “Without her, my life would have been worse than death.”
When the “mother and daughter” saw each other, they hugged with a lot of love, and it touched everyone present.
The year 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of China sending medical teams to foreign countries. In the last 60 years, China has sent 30,000 medical workers to 76 countries and regions and has provided healthcare to 290 million patients worldwide, earning praise from around the world. Generations of Chinese medical workers have been carrying out the important commitment of promoting a global community of shared future through their dedicated work.
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