Zhang Luwen

Our friends at ACCEF (non-profit based in San Diego, CA) visited Luwen in Feb, 2011. photo click here (scroll down to the bottom of the page)

Luwen and mom are coming July 30, 2010 to receive treatment and new prosthetic arm in The Shriners Hospital for Children at Springfield, MA

Luwen and her mother received their visa to come to the US for prosthetics fitting after Brecken Swartz, executive director of Handreach (our non-profit partner) accompanied them to US Embassyin Chengdu on Oct 16.

我们将在１０月下旬把１１岁的张露雯办到美国波士顿治疗并安加肢。露雯将是赴美治疗的第一位四川地震儿童。急需两张中－美国际机票。希望航空公司或其他机构个人赞助。请与我们联系。larryguo@512children.org 谢谢
We are trying to get two free airline tickets to bring 11-Years old Zhang Luwen and her mom to the US. Luwen will be the first Sichuan earthquake child comes to US to receive treatment. If you could help, we really appreciate. Please contact US. larryguo@512children.org

ZHANG Luwen beamed when we visited her on July 23, a remarkable transformation from the sullen girl who was living in a makeshift tent with her parents. Now Luwen's family has moved into a one-room pre-fab trailer, home for the next three years in a relocation center in Luoshui, Shifang City. She's very excited about the possibility of receiving a new prosthetic hand in the U.S.

Lan visited Zhang Luwen and wrote an email about the visit. I translated it into English.

Asked by Larry, I drove to Zhang Luwen’s home to take some photos of her amputated arm during my trip in Sichuan. After our car rolled into Luoshui village, in our sight, were rubbles and remnants of destroyed buildings everywhere, not a single one undamaged. Zhang’s family lived in a tent in an army field hospital.

At the gate of the hospital, Zhang Luwen’s mom met me, a slim of smile on her face, no sign of grief. A little girl ran out, bandage on the right arm, a little shy in seeing strangers.

Since I had to go to hospitals in other areas, we just had a brief conversation and quickly started to do what I came for.

Luwen's mother explained her why I needed to take photos. She kept trying to hide her right arm behind her back. She didn’t allow mom to open the bandages and insisted on doing it herself. Although this is not the first child amputee I met, still I couldn’t hold back my tears. It was too difficult to see children suffering like this. She was quiet, not a word of complaint, took care everything she was able to, but always hiding her right arm behind her.

受Larry之托，趁这次四川之行，我驱车赶往张露雯的家为她拍一张断肢的照片。车一进入落水村，满目所见没有一桩完好的建筑物，四处所存的只有断壁残垣、砖石及瓦砾，张露雯
一家住在野战医院的一个帐篷内。露雯的妈妈在野战医院门口接我，脸上带着一丝笑容，没有悲伤。小女孩很快的也跑了出来，右手缠着绷带，见到陌生人还有一些不好意思。

因为我并没有太多的时间可以在这里停留，还需要赶到下一个城镇去查其它医院的情况，因此，只能做短暂的交谈，迅速完成我此行的任务。
妈妈向小女孩已经解释过了我需要拍照片的原因，她将总是藏在身后的右臂放在身前，拒绝了母亲帮她取下绷带，自己开始拆下绷带。
尽管这已经不是我今天看到的第一个截肢的小朋友，但仍难过的想要流泪。每每看到孩子如此受苦，确让人无法承受。她很沉默，没有任何抱怨，自己处理着一切力所能及的事情，确总是把断肢藏在身后。