The worst of times, the best of times

Recent events will be etched in our collective memory. Face masks, COVID-19 and lockdowns. During this time Tan Yixi, a 22-year-old university student, like so many others, discovered much about her own inner strength and the importance of family.

The senior at Kunming University of Science and Technology in Yunnan province traveled back to her home in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province on Jan 19, ready, she thought, to enjoy a happy family reunion at Spring Festival. However, as the novel coronavirus outbreak hit the city, Tan's mother, Xu Chuan, a nurse working at the oncology department of a local hospital was assigned to fight against the virus at the front line immediately after the festival.

"I experienced a bewildering array of emotions after I heard the news. Initially I didn't want her to take the risk," recalls Tan.

However, she soon changed her mind and decided to support her mother within her own power-by working as a volunteer herself during the crisis.

On Jan 29, Tan volunteered to deal with phone calls in an office building at the hospital where her mother was working. Her daily routine as a volunteer included registering, receiving and distributing medical supplies, such as respirators, goggles, gloves and alcohol-based disinfectants, which were donated by charity groups or kindhearted individuals from both home and abroad.

Every morning, she came to the office at the hospital to answer phone calls from 7 am. She listed each donor's information, examined the quality of the donated goods, and made clear how to deliver the items most efficiently.

This type of work required meticulous care and a great deal of time from Tan, not to mention patience, but she did it without complaint.

To make sure that everything was arranged in good order, she had to efficiently communicate with other people for more than 12 hours a day.

She easily recollects a special moment during this period.

One day, a woman from Hunan province called her to see if the hospital needed fresh vegetables. As the hospital's storehouse was bustling with supplies and vegetables were not a scarce resource at that time, Tan declined the donation.

"The woman was so disappointed that she had failed to help that she began to weep," says Tan. "I was deeply touched by her warmheartedness."