Chen Xia: "Life Messenger" of Beneficiaries and Charities

Source: Jiangsu Civilization Network July 2021

Deeds: the "life messenger" of the people who receive help and care about charity

Introduce: Chen Xia, female, born in 1980, is the director of Suzhou Chen Xia Charity Foundation. As the first leukemia patient on the mainland who successfully received bone marrow transplantation from Taiwan compatriots, Chen Xia actively devoted herself to charity after her recovery. Since 2002, she has held public lectures, charity sales and other activities. From 2016 to 2018, she has led the establishment of an anti leukemia love kitchen, Chen Xia love service station, Chen Xia love volunteer team, and Suzhou Chen Xia love charity foundation, Focus on building a platform to attract more people to join the charity of caring for patients with blood diseases. Up to now, Chen Xia Charity Foundation has established 41 love stations throughout the country, radiating to 8 cities in 5 provinces, and raising funds for more than 2000 eligible patients.

Chen Xia, female, born in January 1980, is the director of Suzhou Chen Xia Charity Foundation.

Fighting the disease bravely, bone marrow transplantation ushers in new life

In September 2000, Chen Xia, only 19 years old, was in her youth when a sudden misfortune hit her. She developed symptoms such as persistent fever and nosebleed of unknown cause, and was diagnosed as acute myeloid leukemia after hospital examination.

Young Chen Xia is unlucky. She suffers from illness at the best moment of her life. But she did not give in, and fought bravely with her strong will. The young Chen Xia was lucky again. Half a year after her diagnosis, in June 2001, with the help of many caring people, she found a matching bone marrow in Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait.

This is the first case of successful matching of bone marrow between mainland China and Taiwan, and also the first case of unrelated bone marrow allotransplantation in Jiangsu. The whole process of the 3000 km cross sea love relay of bone marrow extraction, delivery and transplantation was broadcast live by multiple TV media from three places on both sides of the Straits. Chen Xia's rebirth was supported by the kindness of Taiwan's youth in donating bone marrow, the sense of responsibility of volunteers who send marrow, and the love of all sectors of society.

Surrounded by love, Chen Xia made up her mind to pass on this feeling to more people after her recovery. In February 2002, Chen Xia, recovering from a serious illness, together with the news media, raised more than 70000 yuan for a sick girl in Xuzhou. In 2003, she gave a lecture on the theme of "love life, love life" in colleges and universities in more than 60 cities in 12 provinces of the country, which aroused everyone's attention to patients with blood diseases. In 2006, she established the "Chen Xia Culture and Art Guild". After the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008, she immediately organized well-known painters all over the country to donate more than 300 calligraphy and paintings, and shot more than 2 million yuan in Sichuan and Nanjing, all of which were used by the Sichuan Charity Federation to build love schools.

Chen Xia said that it was this time and time again charity act of spreading love that made her truly feel that she had ushered in a meaningful new life.

Reward the society, love the kitchen and deliver warmth

After her rebirth, Chen Xia opened the charity road to repay the society. The Love Kitchen, located in Shuangta Street, Gusu District, Suzhou, is one of the warmest places on this road.

At the end of 2016, Chen Xia founded the "Chen Xia Caring Nutrition Kitchen" at No. 16, Zujiaqiao, Gusu District, Suzhou City, which is dedicated to providing free cooking places for families of patients with blood diseases and nutritional assistance for patients. This special love kitchen covers an area of only 110 square meters. It is only a river away from the First People's Hospital affiliated to Suzhou University, which is very convenient for the families of patients. The interior of the kitchen is arranged carefully and normatively. The two stoves are clean and tidy. Cupboard shelves, bookcases, rice flour oil, fresh vegetables, garbage cans and other items are marked. These facilities and materials are free for the families of patients with blood disease.

Chen Xia's idea of establishing this anti leukemia love kitchen also stems from her own experience many years ago. The diet of patients with blood diseases is very strict. They should be light and nutritious. During her illness, Chen Xia's memory was deeply embedded in the picture of her mother making nutritious meals for herself in a different way. Because of this special experience, Chen Xia knows the importance of diet for leukemia patients. It was with her mother's encouragement that she founded this caring nutrition kitchen to provide a "safe haven" for patients and their families coming to Suzhou for treatment all over the country. She also wanted to tell them the accumulated experience in diet care, so that they could avoid detours. Today, the Love Kitchen has an average of 20 free users every day. Chen Xia said that the daily expenditure of the kitchen was about 500 yuan, which was donated by people from all walks of life and supported by the charity foundation.

When asked how many patients' families the Love Kitchen has served, Chen Xia said that she had no specific statistics, but whenever she saw someone busy in the kitchen, preparing nutritious and delicious meals for patients with blood diseases, she felt particularly meaningful. Over the past five years, Love Kitchen has encouraged everyone to fight against the disease bravely, which has become a symbol of "home" in the hearts of many patients.

Build a platform to help patients under the guidance of Party building

For many years, Chen Xia has been working hard to help families with serious diseases such as blood disease and tumor disease live with dignity. In the process, she realized that the power of one person is weak, but the power of a group of people is immeasurable. So she began to build a platform and expand her influence through the leadership of the Party building, attracting more like-minded people to join the charity team and benefiting more patients.

In 2017, Suzhou Chenxia Charity Service Station and Chenxia Charity Volunteer Team were established in Suzhou to provide care services for patients with blood diseases by going to hospitals, live broadcasting of love TV, in-depth visits to families, charity charity photography, and public welfare assistance. In the same year, Chenxia Charity Network was born on the basis of Chenxia Charity Service Station and Chenxia Charity TV, and comprehensively provided services to tens of thousands of patients in the hematology department of the First People's Hospital Affiliated to Suzhou University, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Suzhou University and other hospitals. On October 17, 2018, Suzhou Chenxia Charity Foundation was established.

On June 6, 2019, the party branch of Suzhou Chenxia Charity Foundation of the Communist Party of China was established, and more than ten party branches were paired together. On the occasion of the 2021 Spring Festival, members of the Party branch visited 100 people including leukemia patients and their families, medical staff, volunteer volunteers, bone marrow donation volunteers and other personnel, and sent them New Year greetings. Up to now, the Foundation has set up 41 love stations across the country, serving tens of thousands of patients, sending more than 60000 free love noodles, driving more than 360 love convoys, raising funds for more than 2000 eligible patients with love stations, and providing more than 2 million yuan in drug purchase benefits in cooperation with love pharmaceutical enterprises, which has solved some of the living and treatment costs of patients in difficulty. In addition, 22 famous doctor lectures and 7 nutrition kitchen activities were held to share disease treatment and nutrition diet knowledge with patients' families. A total of 859 patients' families participated in offline interaction, and 5.0872 million people watched the live broadcast online, setting up a platform for doctor-patient communication.

When asked how long the charity will last, Chen Xia said that as a leukemia rehabilitation patient, she was particularly able to understand the difficulties and pressures faced by vulnerable groups, especially patients

Chen Xia has won honorary titles such as "Image Ambassador" of the Red Cross Society of Jiangsu Province, "Love Ambassador" of Jiangsu Province, outstanding charity worker of the fifth "Jiangsu Charity Award", the third "Top Ten Network Charity Talents" of Jiangsu Province, and outstanding charity worker of the fourth "Suzhou Charity Award".