She Sha is a nurse in Sichuan Medical Aid Team and the youngest member in the team. She currently works as an infection-control nurse in Hubei General Hospital, taking charge of disinfecting the working environment and medical equipment, and educating other medical professionals and patients on infection prevention techniques. However, she is somehow different from other medical staff.
"I am the one who should go to the front line the most," she always says.
Houses are destroyed by the earthquake in Wenchuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 12, 2008. /VCG
Twelve years ago, a magnitude-8 earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province, killing tens of thousands of people and destroying countless buildings. Thousands of people lost their homes. She, then a 12-year-old student in Wenchuan County, was rescued by medical workers from a pile of rubble. She was a survivor of the earthquake and this experience ended up shaping the rest of her life. She became determined to be a nurse and help save people.
She Sha heads for Wuhan on February 2, 2020. /Sichuan TV
After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, She voluntarily applied to join the Sichuan Medical Aid Team to Hubei Province to fight on the front line.
"I was rescued by medical workers, now it's the time for me to pay back, I must go there," said She.
In order not to worry her parents, She didn't reveal her decision until she set off on February 2, and only said her farewell via cellphone.
She Sha clears the googles. /Xinhua
Since She had no experience working in the Intensive Care Unit (UCI), when she arrived in Wuhan, she was assigned to the medical team's resident hotel, responsible for disinfection and logistics. After improving her capabilities there, she felt that she could do more, and submitted an application three times to change positions. Eventually, she entered the Hubei General Hospital and was responsible for infection control.
She Sha disinfects the working area. /Xinhua
At the hospital, She met the head nurse Ye Man. Coincidentally, Ye was a volunteer in the Wenchuan earthquake, where she assisted in the victims' treatment.
"I just can't believe this group of people who I helped before would come back to us," Ye said, her eyes misted with tears.
Love creates love, generating a circle of goodwill and kindness. The people who were rescued in the earthquake are volunteering to serve others in the epidemic, and continue to pass on this love.
Screen shot of Ye Man's social media post. /Xinhua