Support HIV/AIDS Treatment for Kids in China

Dear Global Giving Friends:

Recently a PATS volunteer- “Yi”-traveled to Fuyang, China to visit PATS children. Yi spent a lot of time with each child, took many pictures, did art lessons with them, visited many of their families, and listened to their stories. We are excited to share Yi’s update with you about one PATS child – Lingling:

“Lingling works at a local hospital as an intern nurse now, and she will return to school to finish her degree in nursing next year. When I asked her what is her take-away from this experience, she said that now she can understand how hard it is to work in the medical field. Before, when she came to hospital as a patient, she always complained about tedious paperwork and long waiting times. However, when she is on the other side now, she began to comprehend why these procedures and rules were set and why it is important for patients to follow them.

She is 18 years-old now, an independent and polite young woman who is grateful for the help she has received over the past 8 years through PATS. I didn’t see pity, senseless or other negative feelings she has against her health condition. On the contrary, she appreciates her stable and happy life and tries her best to fight for a better life in the future. Unlike many kids her age who tried to run away from Fuyang and have nothing to do with their AIDS identity, she talks about her experience with PATS proudly and fondly. She said if it wasn’t for all the support and activities provided by PATS as well as the interesting people she met and befriended, she wouldn’t have had the confidence to work in a hospital given her HIV-positive status. Yet now, receiving help from doctors and nurses worldwide, she wants to be one of them too. She said that there is a doctor she admires very much who encouraged her to help others through the medical field, and this inspired her to set out on her medical career:

 “It’s hard to work as a nurse at a young age like mine. There are patients who distrust me based on my limited experience. Yet the only thing I can do to fix that is trying to achieve perfection.”

 Lingling is very determined and goal-oriented. She mentioned that once one of her patients was very scared of a needle, but she managed to comfort him by sharing her personal stories and expressing her understanding to help him get through the blood test. Her positive attitude is very impressive as is her dedication to helping people through the medial field. She is very proud of what she has achieved and we are very proud of her! Thank you to all of our supporters on Global Giving for supporting youth such as LingLing to have the confidence to achieve their dreams."