Nurse in Yunnan draws comics to support colleagues in Hubei fighting novel coronavirus

A nurse from a hospital in southwest China’s Yunnan province recently went viral for using comics to record the touching stories of her colleagues who went to assist Hubei province in the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The nurse, Chen Mingrui, from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University explained that 138 of her colleagues have been sent to Xianning, Hubei, to assist in the battle against the epidemic. Some of them postponed weddings, and some had their hair cut to lower the risk of infection. Some even ended up hurting their faces due to the long periods of time wearing protective suits.

In Chen’s comics, those who had their hair cut are awarded the “best hairstyle” prize, and the scars left on the faces of her colleagues become the “most beautiful” medals of honor.

Chen said that she had also applied to assist in Hubei but was not selected. However, sticking to her post at the hospital and relieving her colleagues’ burden on the front line is also a form of assistance, she noted.

Now, Chen draws one comic each day in her off time. “I hope they will take care of themselves, and I’m waiting for them to come home safe and sound,” she said.

Seeing the comics, one of Chen’s colleagues, Fu Chaojiang, said they are not alone at the front line as they know there are people at home caring about and supporting them. (cartoons by Chen Mingrui)