The 50-Years-old “Young Girl” Under the Protective Suit

An unexpected epidemic disrupted everyone's life in the winter of 2019. Chinese people took measures with all efforts to fight against the epidemic, waiting for the next spring. There were warriors who headed for Wuhan to protect the city at the risk of their lives. Members of the first batch of medical team from Jiangxi province to aid Hubei province were such warriors. The members of the team including young Medical workers born after 1990, and also those born in 1960s and 1970s. They might have different ages and positions, but the same thing was that they their hearts were full of love. They warmed the patients and dispelled the epidemic with their love. They fought day and night in the Fifth Hospital of Wuhan City to save more lives, and practiced the professional spirit of “revering and protecting life, healing the wounded and rescuing the dying and being willing to dedicate with boundless love.”

“I’m not a young girl. I’m already 50 years-old”. Xu Chunyan , member of the first batch of medical team from Jiangxi province to aid Hubei province and the oldest front-line clinical nurse of the team. After arrived at the pneumology department of the Fifth Hospital of Wuhan City, she was the first to rush to the wards and busy with taking care of patients.

On February 13^th, she celebrated her 50^th birthday in Wuhan. Although be 50 years-old, just as those young nursers, Xu Chunyan worked vigorously in the isolation wards to take duties, give injections, draw blood, collect throat swabs and provide patients with daily care. Xu Chunyan is not tall but her movements were very nimble. She always talks in a very gentle way.

Wrapped in protective suit, she was often mistaken by patients as a young girl. When she heard patients calling her “young girl”, she was quite happy and replied “Sir, I’m 50 years-old!”. But her patients didn’t believe that she was 50 because of her busy but nimble movements in wards. Xu Chunyan smiled and said that, “I feel like I am a young girl”. The 12 bed patient even made a video call with his family to introduce them this “young nurse” from Jiangxi. In order to improve the patients' immunity and keep their spirits up, Xu Chunyan led patients to do gymnastics and sing together.

As the nursing team leader, sometimes Xu Chunyan acted sisters or mothers of those young nurses. She carefully observed the situations of all the team members and helped to adjusted their emotions, which made the team one with strong cohesive force and high effectiveness.

Xu Chunyan always said cheerfully: "Although I am not at a young age, I am in good health and still feel young. I was in a training program in the ICU of Wuhan Union Hospital for half a year in 2000. Now it is time for me to repay Wuhan”. Although the front-line nursing work is very difficult, she demonstrated the nature of the nursing personnel with her simplicity and kindness. We believe that this kind of nature will definitely fight back the epidemic and bring a beautiful spring to Wuhan.