South Korean charities aid impoverished sick young

Anxiously standing in the consulting room, Liu Zhihong stared at her four-year-old daughter Du Yu'nong. So did her husband Du Senlin. Neither uttered any words.

The little girl was examined by a South Korean doctor who had flown to Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, just the day before to conduct free check-ups on poverty-stricken youngsters suffering from congenital heart disease.

He inquired about the girl's condition carefully for 15 minutes and gave the result to a volunteer from Shenyang Red Cross Society.

Upon being told the daughter could receive a free operation in South Korea, the worried mother burst into tears. "How can I stand the coming one-month separation from my girl?" she asked plaintively.

"Mum, I'll miss you and dad. When I'm back, I'll be healthy," responded the youngster with a hug.

Du Yunong and her family live in impoverished Kangping county, Liaoning province. She was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, when she was aged three.

"Her breathing is always heavy and she easily feels tired," her father said.

However, the parents hadn't arranged any treatment for their little girl, because the doctor said the disease could only be treated with an operation, and the fee is as high as nearly 40,000 yuan.

Du's family makes a living as farmers. Their annual income is 4,000 yuan.

By good fortune, the impoverished family was selected for help by South Korean Life's Gift, an non-governmental organization of South Koreans in Shenyang, and the Shenyang Red Cross Society. Thanks to the two charities, the girl can go to South Korea and receive free surgery.

Meanwhile, another six people who are suitable for surgery and who were examined by the South Korean doctor can also obtain help from the two organizations. The oldest is 20 and the youngest is three.

The seven children will go to Korea for the free treatment after the coming Spring Festival.

"We got in touch with South Korean Life's Gift in Shenyang and launched this project aimed at helping impoverished children with congenital heart disease in 2007," Xu Lu, chief of Shenyang Red Cross Society, said. "The South Korean side pays for the operations and makes contact with South Korean hospitals, while we help find the right candidates."

"We have obtained aid from local people so we try our best to give back to the local society. That's why we initiated this program," said Park Choul Su, chief of Shenyang South Korean Life's Gift.

"This time we formed a relationship with Sejong Hospital in Buchun, South Korea, which is specialized in surgery on children," said Lee Yong Kerl, secretary general of the charity.

"Whether a kid is suitable for receiving a free operation depends on two factors. One is that the kid's family cannot afford the surgery fees; another is that the kid's condition is suitable for an operation," said Lee.

The most crucial standard for judging whether to conduct an operation is whether it would be "in time". Many children lose the opportunities to get healed because they miss the best time. However, this "best time" varies according to the different stages of the illness, said Song Jinyoung, a doctor at Sejong Hospital.

According to Lee, each child needs 8 million won (about 47,000 yuan) to have an operation. In addition to these seven children who will go to South Korea, South Korean Life's Gift has already helped 25 impoverished youngsters with congenital heart disease. All fees are donated by their members, mostly South Korean business people in China.

"Their members are so kindhearted. They always visit kids accepting treatment in South Korea with gifts and food, and even play games with kids to relieve their fear and homesickness," said An Ni, a Red Cross staff member in charge of the project.

"Children always cry a lot and cannot bear to say goodbye to their elder friends when they leave South Korea," added An.

The heart disease program is not the only one that South Korean Life's Gift carries out. The charity also has plans to help poor children who have cleft lips and palates.

For years, the charity has been regularly donating daily necessities such as rice and bean oil to more than 1,300 poor Chinese families living around the Xita area, which is the second largest South Korean community after New York.

"We'll keep going since these activities have already become a part of our life," said Park.

(China Daily 12/21/2009 page10)