I Shanghai, Let’s protect it together
《我上海，共同守沪》终曲 – THP志愿者故事 – “姥姥爷爷，这不是梦“
“There are many elderly people in the community where I live, and some young people are unwilling to join the volunteer team because they are worried about getting infected. They also think neighborhood committees will have lots of work to do everyday. So as a Communist Party member and a veteran, I think it is even more important to render my support to them at this time. Although these things are their responsibilities, they are not obliged to serve us. When the lockdown started, I actively responded to the government’s call to join the anti-epidemic team and put on the gear to become a volunteer.”
加上有部分年轻人担心自身感染原因不愿参加志愿队伍，又想到那些基层社区居委干部每天要做的事更多、负责的事也更多，所以作为一名共产党员以及退伍军人，我认为这时候更要顶在前面为他们分担压力，虽然这些事情是他们的职责却不是服务我们的义务，于是在封控刚开始的时候，我就积极响应政府号召参加了抗疫的队伍，穿上大白成为了一名志愿者。”
Today is May the 3rd, 2022, and it has been 35 days of lockdown in Shanghai to control the spread of the Omicron virus.
今天是公元2022年5月3日星期二，距离我本次上海“奥密克戎”新冠疫情爆发的风控隔离已经35天了.
My daily task includes: maintaining nucleic acid testing order, sterilizing community buildings, delivery of personal and government materials, distributing antigen reagents, group shopping materials, and sorting and distributing residents’ medicines. I work 10 hours a day. Many hours are in the neighbourhood, and the clothes in the protective suit are socked and stuck to my back every time as if they were soaked in the rain.
During the period, there was one thing that left a deep impression on me and also brought me a lot of fulfilment and feelings:
我的每天“大白工作”包括：维持核酸检测秩序、小区楼栋的消杀、个人及政府物资的运送、抗原试剂的配发、团购物资和居民药物分拣，配送等诸多工作；每天工作10多个小时是家常便饭，防护服内的衣服每次像被雨淋透了似的贴着后背。
期间有一件事，让我印象很深刻，也带给我很多的触动及感受：
I remember very clearly that on the morning of April 4, the fourth day of the epidemic, a fellow volunteer in the volunteer group said that there was a grandmother in her 80s who was suffering from uremia and needed to go to the hospital for blood tests three times a week on a regular basis. However, she accidentally fell down the stairs and fractured the pelvis near her left leg, so every time she went up and down the stairs, she needs the wheelchair to move.
A few friends and I accepted the task, went upstairs to help the grandmother, and carried her down the stairs carefully step by step.
“Grandma, hold on to the handrail, we’re going down the stairs.”
“I’m old enough to live”
“It’s tiring to live every day now”
The gloomy grandmother kept moaning under her painful expression.
“It’s okay, grandma, we listen to the doctor’s words, check and treat on time, and you will gradually get better.”
The three young men were struggling to carry her, and I patiently persuaded them.
“Guys, every time I give you trouble, when will this epidemic be over …”
” Grandma, the epidemic will be over and the disease treatment will get better. Your son will definitely come to see you, and your granddaughter who just entered Fudan University …”
我记得很清楚，在疫情开始的第四天，4月4日一早，志愿者群里干部说有一个八十多岁的奶奶，她本身患有尿毒症，需要定期一周三次去医院做血透，但是一次下楼不小心摔跤，致使靠近左腿的骨盆骨折，所以每次上下楼都需要人抬着轮椅移动。
我和几位伙伴们领取了任务，上楼帮助老奶奶，抬着她小心翼翼的一步一步下着楼梯。
“奶奶，你抓牢扶手，我们下楼梯了。”
“我这把年纪算是活够了”
“现在每天活着很累啊”
脸色阴郁的老奶奶在痛苦的表情之下，不断呻吟着。
“没事，老奶奶，我们听医生的话，按时检查治疗，病慢慢会好的。”
三个小伙子吃力的抬着，我还以耐心地劝说着。
“小伙子们，每次给你们添麻烦，你说这疫情啥时能过去…”
“奶奶，疫情会过去的，病也会好的，到时你儿子肯定会来看你的，还有你那刚刚考上复旦大学的孙女….”
- Children’s Day 2022
- Life to return to Shanghai in June
- Shanghai Lockdown: The Epilogue – THP volunteer Experience – ” Grandma And Grandpa, This Is Not A Dream “
- LOCKDOWN THROUGH MY EYES
- EARTH DAY 2022
Grandma’s gradually calmed down. When I came back from the hospital that day, the grandmother and grandpa thanked me for helping them again and again. I thought of my grandmother and grandfather far away in my hometown. They should be about the same age as the grandma and grandpa, right? How are they now?
Every time the grandmother goes for hemodialysis, she needs a nucleic acid certificate within 24 hours, so she has to go to the hospital for nucleic acid tests the day before each hemodialysis.
We meet more and more times whilst talking about their family, granddaughter a lot. Her mood is getting better and better.
On April 16th , I cheered up, shook off my exhaustion, and went to pick up my grandma as usual. We chatted casually on the way to the hospital:
“奶奶，疫情会过去的，病也会好的，到时你儿子肯定会来看你的，还有你那刚刚考上复旦大学的孙女….”
奶奶的情绪逐渐平复了下来。当天从医院回来，奶奶和爷爷一再感谢我对于他们的帮助，我又想起我远在家乡的姥姥爷爷，他们应该也和奶奶爷爷差不多岁数吧，他们现在都好么？
奶奶每次去做血透的时候都需要24小时内的核酸证明，所以她每次血透的前一天还要去医院做核酸，我们见面的次数也就越来越多，通过每次的聊天，聊聊奶奶爷爷的家人，孙女，她的心情也越来越好，不断好转。
4月16日周六，我振作精神，甩去一身疲惫，一如往常去接奶奶。我们在去医院路上轻松地聊起了天：
” How are you feeling these days? Grandma? “
” Better than before! “
” It’s great to hear that you’re in a great mood, grandma. it’s good for your health. “
” If it’s not good, I would feel sorry for your efforts, Liang. “
” It’s a mutual support grandmother. I can’t go back to my hometown to be filial to my grandparents during the lockdown. You gave me this opportunity to make up for my guilt. “
” Liang, where are you from? “
” I’m from Lanzhou, Gansu province grandma.”
” Are you alone in Shanghai? How long have you been in Shanghai? “
” Yes. It has been four years since I came to Shanghai alone. “
” Liang, you don’t have any relatives in Shanghai. If you don’t mind, you can take me and my husband as your relatives. “
“Grandma and grandpa, when I help you, I will treat you as my own grandma and grandpa. When you encounter such emergencies and difficulties, what I do is what I should do!”
“这两天您心情怎么样？奶奶？”
“比之前好多了！”
“心情好就对了奶奶。人应该心情好点，这样有利于健康。”
“要是这样还不好，我都对不起小梁你的付出。”
“这是相互的奶奶。我疫情回不了老家为长辈尽孝，是您给了我这个机会弥补了我心里的愧疚。”
“小梁你是哪里人？”
“我是兰州人，奶奶。”
“你是只身一人在上海么？来上海多久了？”
“是的。我一个人来上海已经四年了。”
“小梁啊，你在上海没什么亲人。如果你不嫌弃的话，你把我和我老伴当做你的亲人吧。”
“奶奶爷爷，我在帮助您们的时候，就当您是我的姥姥、我的爷爷。 您们在遭遇这样突发事件和困难的时候，我所做的这些都是应该的！”
This warm dialogue and the change of grandma’s mood really gave me a lot of motivation.
By the evening of April 24th, the grandma and grandpa had abnormal nucleic acid results, and then they were diagnosed with the Omicon on the 25th. With the continuous coordination and efforts of the neighborhood committee team, the two elderly people were transferred to a hospital near their home on April 27th. With full-time medical care, they also solved the problem of physical fluctuations and weather conditions under the previous “each-transportation-to-hospital” mode .
I called the grandfather that night to inquire about the hospital’s conditions and sources of food. I didn’t feel relieved until I learned that everything was guaranteed. Until this time, the grandfather was still saying sorry to me. He said that if I got infected because of this incident, he would feel very guilty. After comforting my grandfather, I simply ate dinner and quickly fell asleep.
Rarely rested on Sunday, early in the morning, in my sleepy eyes, I dreamed that I actually went to my hometown to visit my own grandma and grandpa. The two old people reached out to me tremblingly, wanting to touch their grandson who was beaten by the wind and rain, to touch my face that was exposed to the sun and rain, and to touch the virtual snow and ice of Helan Mountain that had not melted for four years in my body. I knew it was a dream, but I still didn’t open my eyes. Let the goodness continue . . .
这句话和奶奶情绪的转变，实在给了我莫大的动力。
到4月24日晚上，奶奶爷爷显示核酸异常，然后25号他们确诊得了新冠。两位老人在居委团队的不断协调努力下，在4月27号转去了家附近的医院，有了全时的医疗保障，也解决了每次运送途中受身体状况起伏和天气情况影响的问题。
我在当晚的时候给爷爷打去了电话，问询医院的住院条件和饮食来源，得知一切都有保障以后才放下心来。直到这时候爷爷还在对我说抱歉，他说如果因为这个事情导致我感染，他会很内疚。我安慰了爷爷后，简单吃了点晚餐就沉沉睡去。
周天上午难得休息。一清早，睡眼朦胧中，我梦到了我居然回到了老家去探望我的姥姥和爷爷了。两位老人颤颤巍巍向我伸手，想摸一摸他们风吹雨打的小孩子，摸一摸我日晒雨淋的脸庞，摸摸我身体里四年不化的贺兰山冰雪。我知道是这是梦，但还是没有睁开眼睛。就让美好继续下去吧。。。
Team Leader: Arthur Zhang
Team: Arthur Zhang, Benjamin Chan, Lyra Gu, Gideon Kinnah, Yue Dong, Lyon.
Script: Lyon, Arthur
