Community stands up to support student through illness

A Nanyang girl diagnosed with leukemia just one month before starting university has received overwhelming support from local businesses and the community.

Li Jixian was diagnosed with leukemia after being admitted to Beihang University this summer.

The high school graduate received scores on her college entrance exam, high enough to enter the domestically-renowned university, famous for its aeronautics and astronautics departments.

However, before getting the chance to celebrate, she was hit by a sudden fever on Aug 5. Routine tests showed abnormalities in her blood and Nanyang Municipal Central Hospital diagnosed her with leukemia.

Hearing of the sad news, a delegation headed by Dong Zhuoning, chief of the Student Affairs Office at Beihang University, visited Nanyang and granted Li a 10,000-yuan ($1500.4) allowance on behalf of the university.

The school understands Li's situation and will make an exception for her. She can go through the admission procedure any time her condition improves. Support measures will be implemented according to the situation after her enrollment, Dong said.

Donations have also been made from local government and businesses including Nanzhao county, Henan Dongsen Pharmaceutical, and Nanzhao Catering Service.

"A lot of people have visited me in the hospital, which not only gives me courage to live, but also makes me feel the warmth of society. I will keep being optimistic and study hard to pay it back," Li said.