Seventy-two-year-old Li Rongxiang spent some of the darkest hours of his life in Wuhan First Hospital earlier this year. He and his wife were among severe COVID-19 patients received by the hospital and spent 30 days there. Treated by a team of medical experts from Nanjing, Li recovered from COVID-19, while his wife failed to survive from the coronavirus disease.

Nanjing doctors Liu Yun, Pan Yinbin and Yang Gang, together with hospital nurses spent their spare time talking with him and provided mental counselling to help him move beyond the storm.

"They drafted a therapeutic scheme and consoled encouraged me," said Li. "My condition recurred during the treatment but they finally dragged me back from the edge of death."

Recently Li traveled some 600 kilometers to the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing to thank the same doctors for their help. 

Li was joined by other patients in the same ward. Though many of them didn't recognize the doctors' faces, which were often covered by masks and personal protective equipment, Li said he remembered all of their names. 

"Really thankful to you. If not for you, I would not be alive," Li said to the doctors when he reunited with them at Renmin Hospital in Nanjing.

Li excitingly picked up Dr. Yang in his arms when he recognized him, explaining "We have a deep relationship. He was really nice to me [when I was in hospital]." Yang gave a thumb-up to L's healthy condition and said that they "felt like old friends at the first meeting" with hazmat suits removed.

Chinese net users echoed with Yang, commenting that it proves to be healthy as the hug video has been popular on the social media platforms.

"He (Li Rongxiang) looks good for real. Hope that all seniors are as fit as he is," commented a Weibo user.

"He looks really well. Doctors are worthy of respect and compliment," a net user with the handle of @yanzong posted her comment on Weibo.

(Recovered COVID-19 patient Li Rongxiang thanks doctors and nurses when reuniting them in Nanjing, east China. Cover photo/Jiangsu TV.)