Martin Li martin.mouse@163.com FOR 20 years, Zhou Yuehua has been treating patients in every corner of her 13-square-kilometer village in Chongqing Municipality. Lacking the use of her left leg, she has had to rely on her husband, Ai Qi, to carry her across mountainous terrain to her patients. Zhou, 43, has provided medical treatment to almost 5,000 people. The couple was selected by CCTV as among the top 10 people who moved the Chinese in 2012. “I will stay in the village as long as I am needed,” Zhou told media. Ai said he would continue carrying his wife as long as he is able to. Studying medicine Zhou was born in Xihexiang Village in Liuyin Town in 1969 and diagnosed with congenital infantile paralysis eight months after her birth, which left her unable to use her left leg. With the intention of curing herself, Zhou decided to study medicine. Zhou’s persistence earned her a place at a secondary medical school in Chongqing. People in Zhou’s village have to walk several hours to the hospital in Liuyin Town to see a doctor. This situation spurred Zhou to open her own clinic. With 800 yuan (US$127) she had saved, Zhou converted her home into a basic clinic in November 1990. From then on, supported by a crutch, she started wandering the village’s mountainous paths with her medical kit. Zhou’s crutch was replaced with a man when she married Ai Qi. On husband’s back And Ai was happy to be Zhou’s crutch. “Zhou does not distinguish her family from her duties as a doctor. She never turns a patient away from her home. Whenever someone calls, she never fails to make the visit,” said the husband. Zhou is known as a “24-hour rural doctor.” In winter 1999, Ai carried Zhou through heavy rain to deliver a baby at 3 a.m. The couple needed a torch to get to their destination. At one point, Ai lost his footing and dropped Zhou into the mud. Ai himself also fell into a valley and landed on a branch. However, the couple still insisted on walking for another hour to complete the delivery. Zhou used to treat one patient with Parkinson’s disease with acupuncture and massages each week before the patient died. “A doctor’s duty is to heal the sick,” said Zhou, who only charges poor patients what they can afford and often treats seniors for free. Wang Guanzhen, an old villager with no family, is given free medical treatment each time, plus candy. Persevering “Although I can’t cure my own disability, I feel happy to cure others’ illnesses. I think I should stick to it,” said Zhou. Zhou has passed up opportunities to work in big hospitals. The village she lives in is less than one-hour bus ride from urban Chongqing. Many people in the village have either worked outside or moved to live in the urban area. “I will stay here as long as there are still people living in the village,” said Zhou. Ai carries Zhou on his back to see almost 300 patients each year and visits each village household four times a year to share medical knowledge. “I will continue carrying her to see patients until I become physically incapable,” said Ai, who is less than 1.7 meters tall and is starting to feel the strain of having carried the wife for so long. Zhou is less than 1.5 meter tall but weighs over 60 kilograms. Sorry for her son Zhou’s only regret is her relationship with her son, who is studying in high school. The boy does not do well in his studies because his parents are too dedicated to Zhou’s patients to give him enough attention. The boy would often be left alone at home late at night when he was just a toddler. At age 4, his arm was scalded by a kettle of boiling water and the scar remains. “I wish I could spend more time with him, play with him and assist in his studies,” said Zhou. A doctor’s duty is to heal the sick … I will stay in the village as long as I am needed.” — Zhou Yuehua, a rural doctor who lacks the use of her left leg and provides medical treatment to almost 5,000 villagers | 