One Against the Wind, 53 days and nights of the hero Tong Xiaohui

It is a sunny morning, after the end of 14 days of mandatory quarantine, Tong Xiaohui carrying bags of luggage, safely returned to his hometown with his team.

“Everything has changed, and everything is the same as before.” At this moment, Tong Xiaohui is filled with complex emotion. After 53 days away from his hometown, he finally came back.

“Dad,” came a clear child’s voice in the distance. Tong xiaohui’s wife took their child, crying with joy, and hugged him warmly. This hug should have been given after the night shift. However, Tong xiaohui was 53 days late for his “frontline battle” against the COVID-19. 53 days and nights of missing his family, this moment is his happiest moment. Let’s turn back the clock to the morning of the hero’s battle.

In the nursing posts dominated by women, Tong Xiaohui is a little different from “the masses”. Perhaps because the position requires, operating rooms, emergency centers and critical care medicine departments prefer male nurses more. Tong Xiaohui, born in 1988, is one of them. Upon receiving the news that the fourth batch of medical teams should be set up to support Hubei province, Tong xiaohui immediately submitted his application letter. He has both specialized knowledge of intensive care and working experience in rescuing critically ill patients. As a medical worker, he is duty-bound to safeguard people’s health and life safety. “I was really excited and proud,” wang Xianping, the driver responsible for picking up Tong, recalled that day. “I felt like I was driving the most amazing person.”

Back at home, his mother bustled about preparing his first meal after coming home. Sitting on the sofa, Tong Xiaohui recalled the 53 days of the occurrence of the dribs and drabs, in the mind with a thousand regrets. At that time, due to the urgency of time, his family did not even have time to see him off, so he took his family, friends, colleagues’ instructions, resolutely rushed to the forefront. After arriving in Wuhan and undergoing rigorous training and assessment, he was assigned to The National Bofang Cabin Hospital in Hanyang to participate in the treatment of COVID-19. On the first day, he was in charge of more than 120 patients in six units. In addition to temperature measurement, oxygen saturation and ward disinfection, he was also responsible for distributing packed meals, fruits and oral medicine to patients, taking care of patients’ emotions, timely discovering changes in their conditions and writing shift records.

Lying on the sofa, Tong Xiaohui still could not relax. Those hard days and nights had taken root in his heart. Looking at his frown, his wife came over and said with concern, “What’s wrong?”  “Nothing, I just cannot forget the 53 days.” Wearing layer after layer of protective clothing, in addition to the noise of the crowd around my ears, is the friction of protective clothing. Even a simple movement of raising my head and turning my head at ordinary times has become extravagant hopes. “Working in thick protective clothing is more difficult than you might think. The feeling of choking and sweltering is something you’ve never experienced. “After only two hours of work, I feel dizzy and I see stars，but I always secretly encouraged myself that I had to adapt, that I had to get the job done..” His wife faced him and gave him a big hug.

Tong xiaohui continued, “To save on protective clothing, I wore diapers for 8 hours without eating or drinking; I did not bring enough articles for daily use, then I made them myself. Unaccustomed to the local climate and diet, I struggled to overcome; I also need to try to adjust to the chest tightness and choking that came with my protective suit.” Hearing these, tong Xiaohui mother who cooks in the kitchen stopped the action of cutting vegetables and began to cover her face to cry.

“Are you afraid? “Faced with our questions, Tong xiaohui said,” It is false to say that I am not afraid. The epidemic is so severe. But when looking around, all my colleagues were working hard and there are still a lot of patients in need of help, I cannot think of that much at that moment.”

“What did you miss the most when you were in Wuhan?” “Son and wife,” Tong xiaohui said, choking up, “I rarely leave them for that long. In the interview, Tong Xiaohui cried several times. The most memorable moment for Tong was on his birthday. He and other members from the medical team held a birthday party and invited all the patients. “We put the tables together. We set out the cake, the apples and the milk, and we all made the wishes around the tables. A young but energetic old man was eager to cut and divide the cake for everyone. ‘I don’t know who you are, but I know who you are for…’ His gratitude to the medical staff was shown in the song, and the scene was very touching. The medical staff on the scene all cried, and I choked up a few times.”

“Well, well, let’s have dinner,” said Tong Xiaohui’s mother, coming out with some steaming hot dumplings. ” Everything is in the past, hurry to taste homemade food!”

“Tomorrow is the national conference to celebrate the fight against the epidemic,” Tong said as he ate. “All the heroes are being honored for fighting the epidemic, so we should watch it on time.” “You are our hero,” said Tong xiaohui’s wife proudly and firmly.

On September 8, 2020, the National COVID-19 National Recognition Conference was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to honor advanced individuals. Advanced individuals and collectives in the fight against COVID-19, as well as outstanding CPC members and advanced grass-roots Party organizations, were commended. Xi jinping, general Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, President of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), conferred Medals and made an important speech to recipients of State Medals and titles of National honor.

Tong Xiaohui’s family sat in front of the TV, excited and relieved. Zhong Nanshan and other heroes were awarded the honorary title of “People’s Heroes” at the Great Hall of the People. At 10 a.m., the recognition ceremony begins with a moment of silence for those who have lost their lives to COVID-19. The dead silence takes us back to the end of December 2020, when the pneumonia of unknown cause began to rage in Wuhan and then swept through many cities and regions in China. On January 20, academician Zhong Nanshan, a national medal winner, announced that the new pneumonia could be transmitted from person to person. On January 23, the entire Chinese city of Wuhan was declared closed. Since then, China has embarked on a long and difficult national fight against the pandemic.

Although he watched the live broadcast, Tong xiaohui thought, “Although we are doing the same thing, Academician Zhong Nanshan is much greater than me.” The wife seemed to read his mind, patted him on the shoulder and said, “You have done the greatest thing in your power.”

Looking back on the past, each scene is worth pondering. Under the pandemic, there are experienced and capable old-timers like Zhong Nanshan guiding the front line to fight against the epidemic, and there are also countless ordinary people like Tong Xiaohui standing firm and fighting in their posts. But not all heroes have won the national honor. Who is the greatest?

Walking into the street, I interviewed a few random passers-by. Li Guixiang said: “All of them are great! However, each person has a different role to play in the fight against the pandemic. Having gained experience from the SARS in 2004, Zhong nanshan was able to formulate a protest strategy from the overall layout during the COVID-19 outbreak. Tong xiaohui is a hero in our hometown. Without thousands of brave people like him, the protest plan would not have been carried out so successfully.” “For Tong xiaohui, this is the highlight of his life.” Tong Xiaohui’s colleague Li Li says admiringly. “We watched him step by step to where he is today, and we thought he was the greatest person ever.” Chen Wei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, an expert on biosafety and the winner of the national Honorary title of “People’s Hero”, choked up at the end of the interview after the ceremony. “Actually, I’m very sorry for the workers in our team, some of them were born in the 1980s and 1990s.They have also done a lot of research related to the epidemic, but they are not named here. For me, this honor belongs to everyone.”

Everyone who has worked hard and contributed to the fight against the pandemic is the greatest person. The COVID-19 National Recognition Conference is simply a message to honor our heroes and remember their efforts for the lives and health of our people and every “hero” deserves being commended. As long as they stay in their jobs, they are all heroes and the greatest people, from nurses and doctors to businessmen who supply vegetables and masks to Wuhan for less than the cost, to Zhong Nanshan who guides the whole nation to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and Chen Wei who are still trying to develop the COVID-19 vaccine for the whole people. They should all be proud of themselves from the bottom of their hearts.

Today, the panemic in China has been under control, and the number of patients in many cities has dropped to zero. However, the prevention and control of the epidemic remains a long-term and arduous task. Looking out of the window, Tong Xiaohui prayed silently in his heart: hope from now on，every day is sunny. In the process of the outbreak, a myriad of health care workers like TongXiaoHui, conscientious to cure patients, from the east sea to the heart of the Yangtze river，From facing the haze, to the return of spring, as time goes by, they are writing the most beautiful picture in the world, just as the patient sings: “I don’t know who you are, but I know who you are for…”