Wu Yu, a nurse of the third medical team dispatched to Wuhan from Xiangya Hospital, one of the best in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, didn't expect her wish would come true so soon.

On the eve of International Women's Day, she made a special wish in front of the camera for an interview; hoping Argentinian superstar footballer Lionel Messi could send her eight-year-old son a jersey.

"I believe a jersey from Messi would definitely encourage my boy to become a member of the national youth training team," the mother said.

The video went viral after Cyberspace Administration of Hunan released it on video-sharing platform Tik Tok (or Douyin in Chinese), which immediately attracted the attention of China office of the Argentine Football Association.

On the evening of March 8, the office responded the mother's wish on China's twitter-like platform Weibo: "Hello, the nurse mother! After hearing your wish, we are going to send you a No. 10 Messi jersey. Our staff will try to get in touch with you and we hope your son can have a brighter future after wearing his idol's shirt!"

Coming out of the hospital after a night shift, Wu received the good news the next morning. "I didn't expect this wish to come true because I just wanted to encourage my son," she said, adding that one of the reasons she had requested to join the fight against coronavirus in Wuhan is that she wanted to set a good example for her son, telling him that no difficulty can stop people from chasing their dreams.

Wu has been working as a charge nurse in Wuhan's Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College since February 7. Whenever she contacts with her son through video calls, Wu always tells him to overcome the difficulties like her, by studying hard and practicing well.

Wu said that her son Lu Shu likes playing football and has been training at provincial youth clubs since he was five years old. Due to the temporary shutdown of outdoor training amid the epidemic, her son has been forced to exercise at home.

In addition to a Messi's jersey, Lu Shu's training club has also promised to arrange a coaching session with a leading Spanish coach free of charge.

In fact, the treatment to Wu Yu's son is not a privilege. Earlier on March 2, the club has issued a notice that football fields under the club are open to all medical staff for free this year and their children can receive free football training on weekends for a semester.

Chinese authorities had allocated 25.94 billion yuan (about 3.7 billion U.S dollars) by February 13 to improve working conditions of medical staff fighting the novel coronavirus. Individual income tax has been exempted for salary income, subsidies and bonuses of front line medical workers in many provinces.

Children of front line medical workers applying for high school this year in Hubei can receive an additional 10 points in their entrance exams, while younger children will be prioritized for admission at public kindergartens, according to officials.

People from all walks of life also show their support to the dedicated medics in their own way. In southwest China's Sichuan Province, over 250 hot pot restaurants have pledged to offer free meals for a year to Sichuan medical personnel who had been dispatched to support Wuhan.

(With inputs from Xinhua)