Nanchang couple runs kitchen for family of cancer patients
Xiong Xianggen and her husband, Wang Zuocheng, are the founders of the "cancer-fighting kitchen." [Photo: provided to China Plus]
With more than 30 stoves (炉子 lúzi) lining a long and narrow alley in the southeastern Chinese city of Nanchang, this makeshift kitchen (厨房 chúfáng) is full of people preparing home-cooked meals for the families of patients (病人 bìngrén) who are receiving treatment (治疗 zhìliáo) at the nearby Jiangxi Cancer Hospital.
The "cancer-fighting kitchen" allows families to cook for loved ones who are fighting cancer at a nearby hospital. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
Due to the high costs (费用 fèiyòng) for the lengthy treatment of their loved ones, many families can't afford extra expenditures, including the cost of purchasing a meal every day. Since many of the hospitalized cancer patients are from outside the city, being able to enjoy a home-cooked meal is also one of their few comforts.
The "cancer-fighting kitchen" allows families to cook for loved ones who are fighting cancer at a nearby hospital. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
Run by a couple named Xiong Xianggen and Wang Zuocheng, the kitchen provides stoves at the low cost of one yuan (0.15 USD) for each fried meal and two yuan for cooking soup, which is far less than the cost of a takeaway. They also offer free condiments (调味料 tiáowèi liào).
The "cancer-fighting kitchen" allows families to cook for loved ones who are fighting cancer at a nearby hospital. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
"Suffering from cancer is already extremely stressful for them, so we are happy to be able to provide this meager service," said Xiong Xianggen, who is in her late 60s. The couple have maintained the service for 17 years, helping tens of thousands of families who have come to call it the "cancer-fighting kitchen."
Xiong Xianggen and her husband, Wang Zuocheng, are the founders of the "cancer-fighting kitchen." [Photo: provided to China Plus]
In the very beginning, the kitchen was free of charge. However, with a growing number of people coming to use it, and the cost of water and coal soaring, they decided to charge a nominal fee to help keep the service going.
The "cancer-fighting kitchen" allows families to cook for loved ones who are fighting cancer at a nearby hospital. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
"Many families are prepared for the long fight against cancer, so they come to the kitchen to cook meals from the first day their loved ones are admitted to the hospital," said Xiong, adding that "they can make whatever they want.”
The "cancer-fighting kitchen" allows families to cook for loved ones who are fighting cancer at a nearby hospital. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
She believes that the kitchen also provides families with a welcome break from the pain and suffering of their loved ones in the hospital. "Family members can become exhausted, both physically and mentally, when caring for a cancer patient year-round," said Xiong. "I can often see tears in their eyes when they are cooking."
The "cancer-fighting kitchen" allows families to cook for loved ones who are fighting cancer at a nearby hospital. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
Every time upon finding a family crying, Xiong always encourages them to look forward. "I say, 'Since your loved has the disease, there is nothing you can do but face it. Eating enough and well, they can at least have the strength to fight the cancer. If they can't even eat well, how can they recover swiftly?'"
Over the past 17 years, Xiong has heard so many cases of life and death but she still empathizes with each new family who arrive at the kitchen. "Their trust and persistence have motivated me to continue running this service," she says.
The "cancer-fighting kitchen" allows families to cook for loved ones who are fighting cancer at a nearby hospital. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
To ensure their "customers" can use the kitchen, Xiong and her husband must get up at 4 a.m. each day to make the preparations. They also need to clean the kitchen each time a family finishes cooking. Working 18-hour days, the couple have never shut the kitchen, even during the Spring Festival holiday, over the past 17 years.
Xiong Xianggen and her husband, Wang Zuocheng, are the founders of the "cancer-fighting kitchen." [Photo: provided to China Plus]
"For as long as I can move, I will persist in opening the kitchen," stated Xiong. "Even if there is no cure for some of the patients, at least they can eat well every day. Their mood will get better when enjoying the familiar taste and their families will not have as many regrets."
"We are physically tired, but it is sweet for our hearts," she admitted.
Health problems 和健康问题相关的词汇:
[àizībìng]艾滋病 AIDS
[pínxuè]贫血 anemia
[áizhèng]癌症 cancer
[tángniàobìng]糖尿病 diabetes
[xīnzàng bìng]心脏病 heart disease
[liúgǎn]流感 flu
[xiāochuǎn]哮喘 asthma
[gǎnmào]感冒 cold