Quake survivor gives donation to victims
By Wu Chong, Zou Cao, & He Nan (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-01-05 01:02

A 29-year-old woman with congenital heart disease donated 10,000 yuan (US$1,200) Tuesday to the Red Cross Society of China in Beijing to support tsunami victims.

Li Na, who suffers from congenital heart disease, has donated US$1,200 her mother has saved for her to tsunami victims. Li, survived an earthquake, which claimed more than 240,000 lives in North China when she was two months old. [newsphoto]

Li Na, who uses a wheelchair because of her disease, said she hoped her gift will be exchanged for food for the survivors.

"I hope all the dead go to heaven," added she, who is also a Buddhist.

Li was diagnosed with heart disease and epilepsy four days after her birth in 1976.

In the same year, a devastating earthquake claimed more than 240,000 lives in North China's Tangshan.

Then a two-month-old baby, she was carried to safety after the quake, which also affected Beijing.

"To some extent, we have experienced a similar disaster like that experienced by the people in the tsunami-hit countries," said her mother Bai Hong.

Doctors once indicated that Li would die by the age of 7 or 8, but she has survived despite the hardships of her illnesses.

She is hard of hearing, and suffers a speech impairment.

Li's mother said Li insisted in making a donation after watching the news on TV about the disaster on December 26.

"The money comes from the deposit I have made for her over the past years," said Bai.

"She is such a strong-willed person that we believe that she will live longer than us. We think it is necessary to save some money for her future."

However, 1994 witnessed a sudden degradation in Li's illness, when she was hospitalized three times.

"She became a fellow Buddhist after she recovered and began to recite scriptures every day," said Bai.

After learning of the tsunami, Li has chanted daily for the victims, praying they will lead a happy life again.

Various companies and individuals continued to donate money for the tsunami-affected countries yesterday.

Donations collected via the Red Cross Society of China have amounted to 41 million yuan (US$5 million) by yesterday at noon.

The China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, a pioneer of the nation's shipping industry, donated 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million).

The China Telecom and All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese donated 3 million yuan (US$363,000) and 200,000 yuan (US$2,400) respectively.

The National Population and Family Planning Commission of China also donated funds for Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

While in Shanghai, the local Red Cross Society almost ran out of donation boxes so many companies came to ask for them since Tuesday, Li Minglei, vice-president of the Red Cross Society of China, Shanghai Branch, said yesterday.

The Shanghai Charity Foundation and the society will hold a charity performance this evening at the theater of Oriental TV station to raise funds.

Northeast China's Jilin Province has received 500,000 yuan (US$60,240).

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