Amy needs help for life
By Enid Chen & Tom
Photos by Yao Fan

陈亚容, 一个22岁聪明, 活泼的女孩, 在花样般的年华里却遭遇了白血病. 在可怕的病魔面前, 她始终保持着乐观的精神, 微笑着与疾病做斗争. 尽管找到了配型的骨髓, 然而巨额的骨髓移植费用却让贫困的家庭一筹莫展, 坠入到孤苦无助的深渊中... 请伸出你的援助之手, 也许你的一点爱心就将让一个生命从此改观.

She is only 22 years old, a fair, intelligent and outgoing young lady. However, she is currently at the disposal of a ghastly disease. Amy Chen, born and reared in a poverty-stricken family in Zhangzhou, is undergoing her most unfortunate and ruthless chapter of life. In the course of a commonplace blood test early this year, she was told by the internist that she was the victim of severe hematological(血液学的) disease - leukemia(a.k.a. blood cancer白血病).

The whole family was shocked at the appalling news. Amy could not believe what she was told until another two blood tests at different hospitals in Xiamen confirmed it. Her father, who is physically disabled and suffering from heart disease and asthma(哮喘), could not believe the doctor's confirmation.

At the time of learning the news, Informatics College (Xiamen) where Amy worked, fully plunged into the arduous endeavor of raising ample funds for her immediate admission into a hospital, as a few days' delay might cause the expense of her life. Both the teachers and students immediately donated money for her.

Thanks to the school community's compassion and benevolence, they were able to raise the initial fund of tens of thousands for her prompt admission, which subsequently kicked off the agonizing(疼痛难忍的) chemotherapy(化疗) to arrest the fast and furious pace of deterioration. Three sets of chemotherapy triumphantly reined in the cancerous cell's wild spreading.

To people's entire surprise, Amy demonstrated an uncommon battling desire and spirit to keep herself afloat during the chemotherapy. "I shall not give a single chance to let the evil diseases engulf my short-lived life. I still have a meaningful and lengthy voyage to complete." She holds a positive attitude toward the disease. "I still hope I can run a flower shop of my own one day, as this is my dream."

Nonetheless, an indomitable(不屈不挠的) fighting mind and spirit is insufficient to save her feeble life, as leukemia therapy and the ensuing avenue to full recovery require an astronomical amount of medical expenses. For the poor family who has always lived on just a mere income, this is an excessively expensive bill. As Amy's father is physically disabled, her mother who is a farmer struggles to feed the family. Her two elder sisters are only able to make their own ends meet while her brother has just found a job. As a result, her family can't even afford to pony up merely the few tens of thousands of commencing bills. Then how can she endure and survive this unprecedented daunting challenge in life, since the initial chemotherapy stage has already cost the family a fortune, whilst putting the bone marrow transplant issue on the back burner.

After three sets of chemotherapy, Amy recovered quickly and stepped into a relatively steady stage, which indicates a mature time for a bone marrow transplant during late July to August, in an endeavor to get rid of the disease once and for all.

Under the instruction of the chief hematologist(血液学家), Dr. Lu of Xiamen Zhongshan Hospital, the task of tracking down a donor whose bone marrow could be compatible with Amy's was conducted. Blessed with luck, her blood brother's bone marrow meets transplant requirements. Therefore everyone is bathing in relief and joy.

Yet, at the thought of exorbitant medical fees, all the people are once again plummeted into an abyss(深渊) of worries. A minimum of one hundred and fifteen thousand Yuan is needed for the transplant. Even Amy who has been positively struggling against the disease and smiling at times of adversity has begun to frown.

Let's give this young lady a hand so that we can say no to the evil who is adjacent to annihilating a progressing life and so that she can have a chance to fulfill the numerous tasks awaiting her in life.
You are in a unique position to make a huge difference; your compassion and love for your fellow humans will be adequate to redeem her from the brink of perishing. A dollar is a token of your compassion, ten dollars will likely propel us to arrive at the safe haven, and your voluntary donation will enhance her odds of remaining with us.

Thanks to your compassionate aid, a ray of hope is breaking through the dark sky and ascending from the promising horizon and a young life is going on.


Amy is fortunate to have friends who care for her.

Anyone who can give the young lady a hand, please call at 0592-2961007 or 8840732.
陈亚容白血病救助热线:0592-2961007; 0592-8840732

Let's give Amy a helping hand
-- Words from Amy's foreign colleagues at Informatics College (Xiamen)


Raymond
When we realize how fortunate we are not to have some of the terrible problems that life sometimes brings to others, it is no burden to put aside a little time and money for them.
There is in my family a long tradition of being involved in charity work, where we see that doing something for others is not a burden but a privilege, I hope that those who read this article might offer their support and contribute to a very worthy cause.


Mellisa
Amy Chen, a young woman of 22, is now facing blood cancer. If not properly treated, leukemia usually results in death. Amy is very fortunate to have qualified physicians to properly care for her. However the proper care is not affordable to most people, let alone a poor countryside family such as Amy's.
Each and every day we all waste money on things that are not necessary. We buy things that will only result in poor health or contribute to the mounds of junk in our homes. We eat junk food, consume beer and sugary soda, and buy yet another DVD or CD. We take our health for granted. Amy however cannot. She cannot afford to buy another luxury item such as a new dress or even something inexpensive such as a pen. Why not share with her our money that we spend on things we do not really need? Right now she really needs funds to pay for her health care. Any little bit can make a difference.


Tucker Harding
The reason for making a contribution is simple: we are humans, and we help each other when the need arises. We who are healthy cannot fathom the terror of being suddenly stricken with an illness that forces a confrontation with the possibility of death. This young woman's confrontation with such a deadly form of cancer is something that should cause reflection in us all. A donation is nothing less than an effort to help carry, to comfort, and, in the end, hopefully, to cure.