| |
 |
Racing against cancer
|
Han Ximin
QU XIUTANG, 40, suffers from leukaemia, but despite his illness has a special mission: He rides his bicycle around China trying to convince people to establish bone marrow banks to save the lives of people like him.
In the last three years, he has visited over 700 counties and covered a distance of 39,000 kilometres. He pedalled to Shenzhen on his shabby bicycle, carrying 50 kg of his belongings, including a 100-metre cloth with postmarks from all the places he has visited. With the help of the local Red Cross Society, he finally was able to add a Shenzhen postmark to the cloth, which already bears several thousand stamps.
Born into a poor family, Qu was laid off in 1992. That same year, he was diagnosed with early stage leukaemia, and was told he had only eight years to live. After six months in a hospital produced no positive result, Qu decided to quit the treatment and leave home. He said he would rather die outside his home town than make people sad.
Qu travelled along the coastal provinces and visited scenic spots. When he stood atop Mount Tai, he was overcome by the serenity of the mountain, a miracle of nature. "At that moment, I changed my pessimistic attitude towards life, I had to face reality and conquer the disease," said Qu
Qu worked while travelling. He worked for almost half a year in Xiamen and forgot his disease, feeling stronger and stronger. A medical check at a local hospital showed the number of his red blood cells had greatly increased, a good sign for his disease. "To conquer disease, you have to conquer yourself first, for mental collapse is the first step towards death."
Qu started his epic bicycle journey in 1996, after spending two months resting at home. By pedalling around the country, he hopes to encourage cancer patients to fight the fatal disease. Though often suffering hunger and exhaustion, he has refused offers of sponsorship, because he says corporate help would change the meaning of his journey.
"It would not be difficult to establish bone marrow banks in China, since donating 10 grams of bone marrow at a time won't affect a person's health," said Qu, adding the most important thing is to arouse people's awareness.
The United States has established a bone marrow bank which makes it possible for 35-40 per cent of the blood cancer patients to find suitable donors within three or four months.
Qu plans to reach Beijing before April 20 and auction his banner, donating the proceeds to marrow research. If his finances and health permit, he plans to spend the 10 years after that on a worldwide bicycle tour to spread his message abroad.
|
|
|
|
