A Hug to Remember

Wang Cheng, Manager from PMLS Upstream Marketing, Mindray R&D

I didn't know when I would see my wife again, as I hugged her goodbye at Shenzhen Union Hospital. She was sent to Wuhan to help treat the infected patients.

As a Wuhan native, I graduated from Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and further acquired a postgraduate degree in France. After graduation, I returned home and worked at Wuhan Central Hospital as a doctor for a while. Many of my former classmates and colleagues still work in hospitals in Wuhan.

My wife, Dr. Li Duoyun, is Deputy Chief Physician in the Department of Infectious Diseases of Shenzhen Union Hospital. She also graduated from Tongji Medical College and lived in Wuhan for over ten years. She has long been working in the field of infectious disease diagnosis and treatment, and has extensive experience and clinical insights. She took Wuhan as her second home and volunteered to go to the affected area and assist the local medical providers in treating patients.

My wife said goodbye to me on February 7, when Shenzhen Union Hospital sent its first medical assistance team to Wuhan. As a representative doctor of Shenzhen's first medical assistance team, my wife felt enormous pressure when she arrived at a make-shift hospital located in Dongxihu, Wuhan. There were too many patients in Wuhan at that time, and the risk of infection was high. "However, after two days of work, my mind was adjusted and there was no more pressure. It was just like how I treat my patients on a regular day." said my wife. In the meantime, she contacted me by phone and updated her status every two or three days.

On March 20, 47 medical experts returned to Shenzhen after completing their task of assisting Hubei. My wife was among them. On that day, countless citizens filled the streets and welcomed the return of the medical assistance team. Wang Hanyu, our daughter, arrived two hours early to see her mother, since there was no clear timetable for arrival. At 8 p.m., the cars carrying the medical assistance team finally came to the waypoint where Hanyu was, and the crowds immediately burst into cheers. However, as the team passed by very quickly, Hanyu and her mother failed to see each other.

After returning to Shenzhen, my wife was quarantined for 14 days. It was only after the quarantine ended that I finally ushered in a hug with my wife. That was two months since she left.

While my wife was treating Wuhan patients, I also did my best to make contributions to the fight against the epidemic. As a volunteer, I promoted a health campaign to arouse public awareness of preventing COVID-19. I was concerned about my former classmates and colleagues in the affected area and donated 800 sets of protective clothing to Hubei.

I didn't suspend my projects at Mindray. Instead, I continued to work closely on the planning and conception of a new generation of patient monitoring devices and discussed clinical insights with colleagues in China and Europe. The fight against COVID-19 needs a lot of equipment support now for sure. But we should also plan ahead and further our innovations in R&D, so we can provide doctors and nurses with more accurate and efficient solutions. If we work harder now, we will have a better chance to cope with similar epidemics in the future.