A female patient with the novel coronavirus pneumonia burst into tears and became determined to strive for early recovery when medical personnel in Beijing Fengtai Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine held a birthday celebration for her in the isolation ward on February 14.

During a talk with the patient, surnamed Yu, several days ago, an on-duty nurse learned that Yu was waiting for her 61st birthday but had expressed a sense of loss since she thought that there would be no one to share it with her.

However, the nurse and other medical workers decided to give a surprise to Yu by organizing a private birthday party for her in a move to help her feel unregretful about the absence of family members and friends on this important occasion and further heighten her fighting morale.

Yu could not hold back her tears when medical workers brought in a bunch of flowers to her ward. She said with gratitude to them that she had never expected anybody to remember her birthday this year.

Yu pledged that she would maintain closer cooperation with medical workers in ensuing treatment and work for an early discharge from the hospital.

Another surprise happened two days later to Song Shu, a doctor with the department of gastroenterology and endocrinology in Beijing Fengtai Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine.

Song and other medical workers in the department joined the frontline struggle when the novel coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, in late January. Song volunteered to work for patients with confirmed cases in the isolation wards.

She was in tears when senior officials of the hospital sent a birthday cake and flowers to her while her teammates extended their sincere greetings as well.

Speaking in an interview, Song disclosed that she had never anticipated such heartfelt wishes on her 30th birthday and made a wish that the ongoing epidemic would be over as soon as possible.

(Source: Beijing Daily/Translated and edited by Women of China)