Leukemia children put caps on volunteers who had their heads shaved at the scene Volunteers appeal to citizens to participate in the action together. On the afternoon of November 13, a group of young figures appeared on Huaihe Road Pedestrian Street in the provincial capital. More than a hundred volunteers voluntarily shaved their heads bald to encourage leukemia children who lost hair due to chemotherapy. The volunteers often go to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (hereinafter referred to as AMU Second Hospital) to lead the children there with leukemia to read and play games.
Due to chemotherapy, many leukemia children are bald, and the strange looks make them very uncomfortable. In order to encourage the children and call for more people to pay attention to them, under the strong support of Xoyo Street in Luyang District, the Anhui Life Little Warrior Association composed of five universities' volunteers carried out this activity.
An unprecedented "ribbon-cutting"
A simple stage, bald heads and smiling faces of leukemia children, and a group of busy figures form a picture of love. On November 13, more than a hundred volunteers from five major universities gathered together. They would deliver hope to leukemia children in the form of "dispersed hair."
The event began with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was unprecedented. The guest of honor for the ribbon-cutting was a five-year-old girl named Xiao Xiao. She is a leukemia survivor. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with leukemia and moved into AMU Second Hospital with her mother. Over the three years, under the care of the hospital, society, and volunteers, Xiao Xiao defeated the disease, and her fallen hair grew back. Instead of cutting ribbons, she cut the hair of a university volunteer named Wang Hao. He is both a volunteer who volunteered to have his hair shaved off and the organizer of this event, coming from Hefei University of Technology.
Under the care of adults, Xiao Xiao held a long pair of scissors and reached towards Wang Hao's head, lightly cutting, and black hair slowly fell. Touching his uneven hair, Wang Hao revealed his brightest smile.
Female shaves head, girl gives her flowers
Wang Hao touched his smooth head after shaving it, scratched his ears, and shyly said, "It feels pretty good." As one of the organizers of this event, he expressed his previous concerns.
"This event was initiated by Li Nianyi, and volunteers from USTC, HFUT, AHU, AMU, and ANAU responded enthusiastically." In the early stages, they had already launched multiple activities on campus, but asking volunteers to shave their heads made them feel somewhat uneasy. "We were worried that no one would participate." However, the results were far beyond expectations. "More than a hundred volunteers signed up, including girls."
Zhou Siyi is one of the female volunteers. A sophomore in the physics department of the University of Science and Technology of China, she has a head of jet-black hair, curled and well-groomed. This beautiful jet-black hair will soon fall, and Zhou Siyi quietly touched it again.
"I can't do much else for the children; this is my contribution," she softly told the reporter. Actually, she didn't have the courage to be a bald girl. After shaving her hair, she would wear a hat and wait for her hair to grow back again. "Hair grows back after being cut, but once life is gone, it can never return. Shaving a bald head for leukemia children is very meaningful."
After just shaving her hair, she received an unexpected gift. Among the crowd, a stranger girl came forward and gave her a bouquet of carnations, giving her a thumbs-up and praising, "Really brave, good job." Zhou Siyi hadn't even reacted when the girl disappeared into the crowd.
An unusual haircut
As soon as the haircuts started, the volunteers took turns going up in batches. At the event site, besides the volunteers, the hairdressers were also busy.
Through the volunteers' prior contact, six hairdressers arrived at the scene. Meanwhile, more than a hundred volunteers had signed up for the haircut, and some even registered on the spot, meaning each hairdresser would shave about a dozen heads.
The razor went up and down, and more and more black hair scattered on the ground. More and more shiny heads sparkled under the sun, and sweat beads formed on the foreheads of the hairdressers.
Xiao Chen, 28 years old, has been working in the hairdressing industry for five years and is currently working as a stylist in a barber shop on the pedestrian street.
That day was Sunday, the busiest time for the store. It was hard to leave, but this event made him set everything aside. With the boss's support, he arrived at the scene early. "I've been cutting hair for five years, shaved plenty of bald heads, but today's experience is completely different."
Xiao Chen recounted a touching story: "One of my close friends lived with me, played together since childhood, went to primary school and junior high school together, then he passed away due to leukemia." While talking, he blinked several times, trying hard to hold back his tears. "With medical conditions improved now, I hope all these children with leukemia can stay strong."
The groom considers this as a wedding gift
On the stage, one by one, the volunteers got their heads shaved bald. Below the stage, many passersby stopped to watch, layer upon layer. They occasionally applauded with emotion or shouted "加油" (come on). Phones, cameras, and DVs were all put to use, recording such unforgettable moments.
"Excuse me, please move aside." A young woman with long hair holding a DV camera kept looking for angles to shoot. It turned out she was filming her boyfriend on the stage, who was actually her fiancé. "Our wedding is scheduled for next year's first lunar month." The fiancé on the stage spoke up: "Sorry, I need to catch the five o'clock flight, so I'll cut ahead in line."
The fiancé's name is Yu Hang. Two years ago, he graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China and currently works in Beijing. This time, he returned home with his fiancée and unexpectedly encountered this event, signing up without hesitation.
The fiancée's name is Xu Ming. She told the reporter that although she expected her fiancé's hair to still be short at the wedding, "I don't think it will affect the beauty. Instead, it will give our wedding a different significance. This is a special big gift."
Singing father and son donate a day's hard-earned money
At the event site, a donation box was placed. The opening of the box was never idle. Coins, paper bills, whole money, change, continuously dropped in. Men, women, one by one unfamiliar figures came and went quickly. An elderly man led a blind young man. The young man had a guitar on his back and a microphone in his hand. The two wobbled over. The two men took out the money from their pockets, fifty cents, one dollar, five dollars... They neatly folded it and struggled to put it into the donation box before leaving. The volunteers were stunned for a moment. "Judging by their appearance, their lives are also tough, yet they still have this heart. We felt a bit sad."
Upon interviewing, it was learned that this was a father-son duo. The father's name is Wan Changjiang, from Jiangxi Province, 60 years old this year. His son is 18 years old. Due to an accident during childhood, his son became blind. To treat his child, the father sold his property and underwent long-term treatment. To raise funds, the father served as his child's eyes, guiding him, and the two lived by singing. These thirty yuan were what they earned that day. "They are the ones saving lives, and they need it more than us."
After donating, they continued to sing. Wan Changjiang said they would send more money when they earn it.
Fierce beasts can also turn into lambs
In the afternoon, Dr. Wang Ningling, the chief physician of AMU Second Hospital, also arrived at the scene. For many years, she has been at the forefront of treating children with leukemia. Currently, there are more than two hundred children with leukemia in the hospital. As soon as she arrived at the scene, she pointed at the children on the poster and called out their names one by one: Zhao Yirui, Ding Li, Bai Sha Chao... These children have already been discharged, and she still remembered them clearly.
Standing on the stage, she loudly told everyone: "Childhood leukemia is not a fierce beast; it can be cured." She said she came to the scene today to dispel everyone's misunderstanding. Many people believe that leukemia is a hereditary disease or a contagious disease, which is incorrect. Especially in summer, when children with leukemia wearing masks and having bald heads walk on the streets, people around them always avoid them.
She said that although childhood leukemia is a malignant tumor, most cases can be cured through chemotherapy, and only a few require bone marrow transplants.
However, once someone contracts this disease, it brings intangible pressure and social misunderstanding and discrimination to the child's family. Moreover, the economic burden becomes their greatest fear, as treating leukemia costs hundreds of thousands of yuan...
Regarding the activities of the volunteers, she has always supported them. At the same time, she conveyed to the reporter that the children in the hospital were also deeply moved. They really wanted to come to the scene, but they were persuaded by the doctors out of fear of infection.
Generally speaking, if there is no recurrence within five years, it can be announced as completely cured. Over the years, many children with leukemia have stopped taking medicine and been discharged.
Just as the volunteers said, fierce beasts are not scary; as long as there is love, they can turn into little lambs.
Qi Wu, Intern Zhang Yujie
Reported by Journalist Ju Yuanyuan / Text
Photographed by Gao Bo