Ji's journey from roadside to recovery

Ji Jiali (pictured) was only several months old when she was abandoned on a roadside in Shanxi Province seven years ago. The villager who found Ji and took her home, Zhang Quanmei, noticed a strange bluish tint to Ji's lips and fingertips.

So, Zhang took her to hospital for a checkup. The doctor there told Zhang that little Ji was suffering from a very serious congenital heart disease.

Although her neighbors suggested that she send Ji to the local orphanage, Zhang was determined to bring little Ji up. Zhang spent all of her family savings on the child, despite the fact that her eldest son is disabled and her youngest son suffers from kidney problems.

"I love her, and I must save her," she told reporters after she trekked her way to Beijing in early July to find the best heart surgeon for her foster daughter's treatment. She ended up coming to the registration hall of the Beijing Huaxin Hospital.

When Zhang heard that the top surgeon was away, she declined to check in and spent four nights in the hospital's hallway.

The story of Zhang and Ji moved many people including the Huaxia Charity Foundation, which covered about half of the medical fees.

The hospital staff and other people who saw the story broadcast on Beijing Television news on July 3 donated enough money to cover the rest.

On July 17, Ji was discharged from the hospital. On that day, her lips were a full healthy reddish color.

(China Daily 07/25/2007 page19)