Zhang Qiujin is a poor peasant woman from Langcun Brigade, Guocun Commune, Mancheng County, Hebei. Her husband, Cui Bingwu, is a railway worker. In 1964, Zhang Qiujin discovered a small lump in her lower left abdomen. This lump grew rapidly, reaching the size of a bowl within a year, causing her to lose her ability to work. During 1965, Zhang Qiujin sought medical treatment at several large hospitals in Baoding, Tianjin, and Beijing, underwent surgery, but was never able to locate the tumor or receive a correct diagnosis. Her tumor grew very quickly, soon becoming a giant tumor, which made subsequent hospitals reluctant to perform surgery. Ultimately, Zhang Qiujin could only return home with the diagnosis of “four months to live.” Afterwards, Cui Bingwu wrote to the Ministry of Health, but the ministry also believed it was an “incurable disease,” replying, “China has no way, and the world has no way.” However, four years passed, and Zhang Qiujin was still alive, but her tumor continued to grow larger over time.
In early spring 1968, the medical team of the 38th Army Medical Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army responded to Chairman Mao’s great call to “focus healthcare work on the countryside,” and went on巡诊 (rural巡诊), discovering Zhang Qiujin, who was already in the “waiting to die” stage. There are two recorded versions of how this case was discovered: one says that during巡诊, the medical team visited Zhang Qiujin’s home and saw her kneeling on the kang (heated brick bed) with a huge tumor; the other says Cui Bingwu pulled Zhang Qiujin on a donkey cart to seek medical help at the medical team’s station, and she could only kneel on the donkey cart.
After arriving at the medical team’s station, Cui Bingwu told the medical staff: “I know this is not a big hospital and there are no experts here. But you are the People’s Liberation Army, loyal to Chairman Mao, and have a sense of class. I believe you will find a way. You are our last hope.”
8 Likes
1 Like