Qi Guoyan (R) studies methods of treating patients together with her colleague. [Xinhua]

An expert on myasthenia gravis from Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, has helped many patients after transforming herself from a patient to a famous doctor through hard work.

Qi Guoyan, 53, serves as honorary vice-president and dean of the Myasthenia Gravis Center in Shijiazhuang First Hospital and dean of the Hebei Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Myasthenia Gravis.

Her life experience is like a legend.

In 1989, Qi graduated from Hebei Medical University with distinction and joined the Internal Medicine Department of Shijiazhuang First Hospital.

However, it seemed that life treated her with mischief. In 1990, she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, which left her almost disabled.

Influenced by hormones, she put on weight and suffered from osteoporosis and peptic ulcers. Worse still, her boyfriend broke up with her, with no explanation. The heavy blows of disease and relationship problems dealt to her made her think of putting an end to her own life.

Thanks to her father's encouragement, she toughened up and made up her mind to cure herself and save more patients like her.

She met numerous problems on her road to seeking medical treatment, which lasted for as long as nine years.

On one occasion, she was at death's door owing to a severe lung infection. After a number of emergency treatments, she was saved, but what she cared about most was the method adopted by the doctors in saving her.

Touched by her determination, many experts and professors shared with her their experiences accumulated over the years.

Besides learning from them, she read books on traditional Chinese medicine voraciously. Although she ached all over, she classified medical materials meticulously, recording over 100 prescriptions that totaled over 10,000 words.

In 1996, she decided to remove her thymus after reading a lot of materials about western medicine. Before undergoing surgery, she said to her doctor that she would not regret making such a choice if the experiment on her could help more patients find a way to recover.

She even turned her own home into a test base by applying western and Chinese medicine techniques to herself, doing experiments and making summaries for nine years.

Her efforts paid off and she finally recovered.

Nine years later, she resumed her work and was determined to share her medical research and her own experience with patients.

She received a boy named Yan Dong (pseudonym) from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Yan was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis at age 19.

With Qi's help, Yan's surgery went quite well. However, Yan applied several days later to be discharged from hospital for lack of money.

Qi knew that all her previous efforts would be in vain if she approved the boy's application. Thus, she decided to help the boy with further treatment at her own expense. She also cooked delicious and nutritious food for the boy to improve his health.

Her selfless love touched Yan deeply. Under her influence, Yan embarked on voluntary service in the hospital by helping other critically ill patients fetch water and doing the cleaning.

Later, Yan was discharged from hospital after he recovered. Qi has since helped many patients like Yan.

In 2009, Qi became the first dean of the Shijiazhuang Myasthenia Gravis Research Institute established by Shijiazhuang First Hospital.

In 2013, she helped found Hebei Myasthenia Gravis Hospital.

She has treated all her patients as her friends. Whenever she hears the groan of patients, she would think of what she had experienced during the nine years when she was a patient. That is why she can always put herself in her patients' shoes.

Over the past five years, a team under Qi has treated over 30,000 patients for free, bringing hope to over 10,000 patients suffering from myasthenia gravis.

In 2017, her thesis was on display in the form of a poster on the wall at the 13th International Seminar on Myasthenia Gravis held in New York. She has also won many awards, such as second prize in the scientific and technological achievements of Shijiazhuang in 2012.

Under her leadership, her team has established the first sample database of myasthenia gravis in China. In addition, a research project about treating myasthenia gravis through Chinese medicine initiated by her has been put into action.

In 2018, Qi was elected as a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC).

At this year's two sessions, she made two proposals to benefit more myasthenia gravis patients in medical treatment.

Much to her delight, a proposal has been adopted by the motion committee of the NPC. At her suggestion, the National Health Commission created an index of Chinese rare diseases, and myasthenia gravis was included.

Qi Guoyan takes a patient's pulse. [Xinhua]

Qi Guoyan checks a patient's state of health in a ward. [Xinhua]

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

http://www.womenofchina.cn/womenofchina/html1/people/everyday/1812/5060-1.htm