Blood
Zhang Lijie
Blood, crimson blood, was slowly flowing into the body of a middle-aged man, drop by drop, along a long, soft tube.
The afterglow of the early summer sunset, through the trees outside the ward and the window next to the bed, dragged heavy footsteps and reluctantly lingered on the hospital bed in front of Su Minghui, and the warm light gently brushed over and over again on the body with several tubes inserted on the upper body, as if silently soothing the man's hard work and perseverance.
A translucent oxygen mask pressed tightly against the weather-beaten face, the mist changing shape from the man's weak breathing, two slender tubes inserted into his nose, a bandage in the middle of his bare chest, and a tube hanging limply from the edge of the gauze......
So many tubes were inserted!
Su Minghui saw this kind of scene for the first time, she didn't know the specific function of these tubes, but she recognized that there was a tube that was carrying blood! The blood, which was as red as the setting sun, was dripping into Jiang Junhao's father's body drop by drop, very regularly, like a red chain, eagerly helping the man on the hospital bed to pull the fragile life that was being remembered by the disease.
The man lying on the bed was not his relative, but Su Minghui's heart skipped a few beats. At the same time, a sour liquid surged uneasily in the nasolacrimal ducts.
Fortunately, Jiang Junhao didn't know that his father was sick like this, otherwise how could he be at ease to protect his family and defend the country on the frontier?
Jiang Junhao is Su Minghui's classmate, the man on the hospital bed is Jiang Junhao's father, and Jiang Junfan, who brought Su Minghui into the ward, is Jiang Junhao's sister. Su Minghui was Jiang Junhao's classmate in the first and second years of high school, and when the third year of high school started, Su Minghui's father's unit divided the house for their family, and she transferred to this high school in the county. In the winter of the first semester of his third year of high school, Jiang Junhao joined the army and went to Xinjiang and became a recruit in a certain army in Xinjiang.
At this time, there were also patients lying on several other beds, and most of them had family members accompanying them in front of the beds, and some even had two or three people. The room was suffocatingly quiet, except for the occasional ticking of medical equipment.
"Sister Su, this is my dad. Jiang Junfan broke the silence, showed a wry smile to Su Minghui, and introduced to his father who was lying on the hospital bed, "Dad, this is Su Minghui's sister, my brother's classmate, from our neighboring village." I just went to the commissary outside to make a phone call, and I happened to meet Sister Su. Sister Su transferred to the county seat to go to school, and their school is quite close to here. ”
On the hospital bed, Father Jiang's distracted eyes widened, and he blinked at Su Minghui a few times, and his mouth under the oxygen mask squirmed, and the corners of his mouth moved a few times, but no sound came out.
Su Minghui has little social experience, and this is the first time she has seen someone who has tubes all over her body and needs a blood transfusion. She was very worried: she had to have a blood transfusion, so she should be very sick, right?
Suddenly, it was very embarrassing to see the parents of the male classmates in this situation, but she still felt that she should come this time. She gathered her mind, tried her best to act like an adult, and carefully pulled the sheets that had retreated to her stomach in order to expose her chest: "Uncle, I am Jiang Junhao's classmate, come and see you." Just now when Junfan and I came in, we met Dr. Li, and he said that your surgery was very successful, and your physical condition is much better than the previous two days, and you will recover completely soon. Uncle, you have to cooperate with the doctor, take care of it, and get out of the hospital early and return to your home. ”
"yes, Dad, don't worry about anything now. Just now, my mother said on the phone that the wheat at home was all harvested, and my second uncle helped them send it to the bungalow, and after two days of drying, my mother planted corn and came. It's only two days, and I can't delay my high school entrance exam. ”
"Uncle, take care of it, just give yourself a long vacation, if you are in good health, Jiang Junhao can protect his family and defend the country with peace of mind, and Junfan can study with peace of mind. ”
Su's father's mouth, confined under the oxygen mask, moved sharply, but still did not make a sound, and a large cloudy tear snaked down from the corner of his right eye down his weather-beaten ravine......
Su Minghui didn't ask Jiang's father's age, but Jiang Junhao is the same age as Su Minghui, and he is also the eldest in the family, so the parents of the two families should be about the same age. I'm not even 50 years old, I have so many tubes inserted, and I have to have blood transfusions, this ......
The young and soft heart beat heavily a few times, and Su Minghui felt hot tears rolling in her eyes. She reluctantly pulled the corners of her mouth, tugged at the corner of Jiang Junfan's clothes, and took her hand and walked out of the ward: "Sister Junfan, I decided to stay with you tonight," Seeing what Jiang Junfan wanted to say, she said anxiously, "Uncle is so sick, I'm afraid it's difficult for you to take care of yourself if you want to turn over." Jiang Junhao can't come back from the frontier, I'll accompany you for two days. ”
Jiang Junfan burst into tears all of a sudden, and his worries flowed down the tears: "Sister Su, you said that my dad is him, my dad is him, will it be ......?"
To be honest, Su Minghui has never experienced this kind of thing, she herself is actually a soft-hearted, weak and sensitive girl, from the moment she saw the blood in the infusion tube in the sunset dripping continuously, drop by drop, as if there was a sound, repeatedly, her heart has always been panicked. How important blood is to the human body, but Father Jiang ...... At this time, seeing Jiang Junfan crying sadly, her nose was also sour, and she couldn't help but turn over the river and the sea in her heart.
However, Su Minghui was a few years older than Jiang Junfan, she suppressed her panic and let Jiang Junfan lean on her body: "Junfan, don't cry, Jiang Junhao said in the past that his uncle is too capable, and his illness should have something to do with the heavy burden on his body. ”
On the fourth day after Jiang's father's operation, that is, yesterday, their relatives in their hometown called and said that the wheat would turn around if it was not harvested, and the autumn bud rice also needed to be planted quickly. But Jiang's mother, who was in a hurry, fell down when pulling wheat to dry on the bungalow, but fortunately let the newly beaten wheat seedlings pad it, and was not seriously injured, but also broke her foot, so she couldn't come over in two or three days.
The time was already June 15, 1988, less than a month before Su Minghui's college entrance examination and Jiang Junfan's high school entrance examination.
After dinner, Jiang's father's attending doctor suddenly came to the ward and said that the patient's family should go to the doctor's office on duty. Because it is more convenient for Jiang Junfan to take care of his father, Su Minghui will do the errands.
This Dr. Li is familiar with the Jiang family. He is in the same village as Jiang Junhao's mother, and the two are the main family that has not come out of the five suits. This time, Father Jiang came to the hospital, he took care of him very much, and he was also very kind and kind to Su Minghui, who met for the first time.
As soon as he got out of the ward door, Dr. Li asked with a smile: "Are you Jiang Junhao's object?" and then didn't forget to praise Su Minghui, "Jiang Junhao's kid is not shallow, I found such a beautiful and kind object as you!"
"No," Su Minghui was stunned, how could she be misunderstood like this? For a while, she was red and at a loss, and hurriedly defended, "It's really not! I and Jiang Junhao are classmates." Now he is defending his family and the country so far away from home, but his father is lying in the hospital, and he is so sick that he needs blood transfusions and needs so many tubes, anyone with a good heart will feel sympathy when he sees it, not to mention that Jiang Junhao and I are still classmates!"
"Did you see a patient's blood transfusion, so you thought his illness was very serious?" Dr. Li's footsteps stagnated slightly, and he turned his gaze sideways as he lowered his eyes and looked at Su Minghui, "Do you know about blood, do you know about blood transfusion?"
Su Minghui didn't know why Dr. Li suddenly asked her like this, but she still replied seriously as she answered a question in class, just like when she answered a question in class: "I don't know much about it." Textbooks say that the blood volume of the human body is about 7%-8% of body weight, if a person weighs 60 kg, the blood volume is about 4200-4800 ml. Blood is composed of plasma and blood cells, which play five functions: transport, regulating human body temperature, defense, regulating human osmotic pressure and acid-base balance. In addition, blood also stores human health information, and many diseases require blood tests for diagnosis, which is essential for the normal life activities of the human body......
As soon as he said this, Dr. Li suddenly stopped, his face full of appreciation: "It seems that you have studied well! This is the knowledge of physiology and biology, and the last two points are still a bit exceeded! Just now you said that you will take the college entrance examination next month, looking at your level, isn't this one foot already stepping into the threshold of the university!"
"Thank you, Dr. Li, for the compliment. Su Minghui was a little shy to be praised, and she quickly returned to the original topic, "Our biology teacher has a wide range of knowledge, and he told us about it. However, my knowledge of blood donation is limited to knowing that patients who have lost a lot of blood and are critically ill need blood transfusions. ”
"The reason why Jiang Junhao's father had a blood transfusion this time belongs to the situation you just said about the need for blood transfusion. He came to the doctor this time because of a secondary infection of severe hydronephrosis, but during the examination, it was found that he also had extrahepatic bile duct stones and severe stomach ulcers. There are so many diseases in a person's body, none of which are mild, I really don't know how he endured it until now! In addition, the operation took a long time and his body was weak, so he still needed a few more days of blood transfusion. ”
"Doctor Li, will his illness get better, right?" Su Minghui still asked this question.
"Don't worry, it's going to be fine. Although his illness is serious, he can be sent to the hospital in a timely manner, and he will not die. Dr. Li took Su Minghui into his office and said with a smile, "And said that you are not Jiang Junhao's girlfriend, isn't it that you can still care so much?" Jiang Junhao's grandmother's family is our village, and my mother and I still haven't come out of the five-service family, and I will go to drink wedding wine when you get married in the future." ”
Su Minghui stayed with the bed, really out of the friendship with Jiang Li's classmates for two years, and the reverence for him to give up the opportunity to go to college to become a soldier who defended his family and country, and also because of the worry and compassion of seeing the bright red blood dripping into Jiang's father's body drop by drop. Su Minghui didn't expect Dr. Li to make fun of her repeatedly on this topic. She's a girl who hasn't graduated from high school!
"Come back, come back! I'm joking with you!" Dr. Li stopped Su Minghui, who was embarrassed and turned to leave, "Don't go, it's really something to call you here." Su Minghui turned around, the flush on her face did not subside, and she heard Dr. Li say, "Jiang Junhao's father will have a blood transfusion tomorrow." But the blood bank said that this afternoon, the emergency department suddenly pulled a few serious illness numbers from the scene of the car accident, and it was a family, and it was really a coincidence, except for one child who was type O, the others were the same as Jiang Li's father's blood type, so ...... The hospital has been dispatching in many ways, but there is no guarantee that there will be enough blood tomorrow. ”
"Then what should I do?" Su Minghui had forgotten the shyness just now, and her heart suddenly rose, "What if I can't transfer it tomorrow?"
"In fact, the problem that the blood inventory is in an emergency and the blood inventory is lower than the city's blood safety stock has always existed. As a clinician, I am often worried that if a critical pregnant woman or an injured person needs blood urgently, the blood bank does not have it. Thankfully, though, this fear hasn't really happened until now. ”
"Blood can be regenerated, even if you don't donate blood, red blood cells only have a lifespan of about 120 days, and the lifespan of white blood cells and platelets is even shorter, and after blood donation, plasma can return to the normal range within a day or two after donating blood through diet, and red blood cells can recover more slowly, about two or three weeks. Su Minghui was a little young, and she said quickly, "These are all mentioned in textbooks, isn't it right? Doesn't it mean that healthy adults can reduce blood thickness by donating blood once or twice a year? Why is there a shortage of blood in the hospital?"
Dr. Li didn't laugh at Su Minghui's class, but replied in an equal tone: "Let's not talk about other subjects, you really learned very well in your physiology and hygiene class." You're right. From a medical and social perspective, donating blood is important to society and the healthcare system. By donating blood, people can help patients who need blood or blood products to treat a disease or surgery. Donating blood can also help ensure an adequate blood supply and reduce problems caused by blood shortages. Also, donating blood has some benefits for blood donors. First of all, donating blood can help donors understand their blood status, such as blood type, hemoglobin levels, and various indicators in the blood. Second, donating blood can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Finally, blood donors may be given priority treatment when blood is needed. I am a doctor, and I can responsibly say that there is no harm in proper blood donation for healthy adults. ”
"Then ......" Su Minghui was very puzzled.
"Look, I forgot to ask you to sit down. Dr. Li pointed to a chair opposite him, and at the same time sat on his own chair, "The inventory of the blood bank cannot meet the daily blood needs of the hospital, there are many reasons, and it is complicated to say, so I will briefly talk about it at this time." First, blood donation is a voluntary act, second, the preservation of blood, whole blood and red blood cells can be stored at 4±2 °C for 35 days, and other products such as platelets and plasma will be stored for a shorter time, and third, the blood inventory is uneven in different places. Of course, there are other reasons for this. ”
Hearing Dr. Li mention "inventory", Su Minghui remembered the previous question again: "Dr. Li, you said that Tianjiang Junhao's father's blood should be guaranteed, right?"
"Jiang Junhao's father can't stop blood transfusion for three or two days. I figured that if the blood really didn't come out tomorrow, I'd give him a blood donation. Who made us relatives, who made me a doctor, and who made me happen to be blood type B? Alas, today's medical research is changing with each passing day and has created countless miracles, but so far no artificial blood has been developed that can completely replace all the functions of human blood for clinical medicine, first aid, and war readiness. When will we be able to study a steady stream of artificial blood?" Dr. Li sighed with emotion, and suddenly proposed, "You are so good at physiology and hygiene, in the future, you will go to university and graduate school to study artificial blood, right?"
Su Minghui didn't answer Dr. Li's next topic, but asked excitedly: "You just said that Jiang Junhao's father is blood type B?
"No, you're facing the college entrance examination ......"
The next morning, after examination and matching, Su Minghui's 200 ml of fresh blood flowed into the blood bag and then into Jiang Junhao's father's body.
In fact, the hospital temporarily transferred enough blood from the blood bank in other places that day, but Su Minghui's bloody heart still made her can't help but stretch out her arm.
Now, more than 30 years have passed, Su Minghui and Jiang Junhao's children are already older than them back then, and Su Minghui's father-in-law, Jiang Junhao's father, although his father is very weak, he is still happily waiting to drink his grandson's wedding wine at the age of eighty. Su Minghui did not study blood, but became a clinician, working in the hospital where her father-in-law used to be hospitalized. Now, she also has the hidden worries of Dr. Li at the beginning, and she really wants to appeal loudly-
Caring citizens who are healthy and eligible for blood donation should contribute their "help" to saving lives that cannot be repeated!
Personal profile: Shan Yuxie, formerly known as: Zhang Lijie. He is a member of the Shandong Writers Association, a director of the Qingdao Writers Association, a novel editor of Jiangshan Literature Network, and the editor-in-chief of Writers' New Vision.