Zhou Jie wrote before his death
At 10:03 p.m. on this year's National Day, Zhou Jie, an outstanding dancer in China, our little hair and close friend, flew around half the world and arrived in her hometown of Shanghai on the 5th day, at the age of 59.
Zhou Jie
The bad news came and was suffocating. Xiao Wu, a wife who has been friends with Zhou Jie for more than 40 years, took photos related to Zhou Jie and said to herself with tears: She is back, and in more than ten days, she can go to Shanghai to meet, how can she suddenly leave? Am I mistaken?
Dance drama "Banping Mountain" Zhou Jie as Shiping girl
As a top master of Chinese dance and Zhou Jie, who has won various awards, she has long been famous all over the world. If only one word is allowed to describe her, it can only be: beauty. Otherwise, it's superfluous.
Dance drama "Banping Mountain" Wu Linping as a stone screen girl
For many years, especially after Zhou Jie's illness, she had telephone, WeChat or video contact with Xiao Wu almost every day, and had long been mentally prepared for the course of her life, why did her death cause us such great sorrow?
Pain and pain. The kind and beautiful Zhou Jie used her firm belief in inspiring herself to "use life with heart and affection" to create two amazing miracles in the last time of her short life, which made us feel shocked, admired and infinitely missed.
She uses the steel and iron bones of dancers and the tenacious will to create miracles of life
As early as October 2015, Zhou Jie was diagnosed with lung cancer, underwent lung tumor resection surgery in Shanghai, and because of her strong response to chemotherapy, she was transferred to the famous cancer hospital in Houston for continued treatment at the end of the year.
In the following years, Zhou Jie experienced various discomforts and adverse reactions of radiotherapy, nausea, vomiting, pain, and sleeplessness at night... But incredibly, as long as her body feels a little better, she practices the basic skills of dance as she did when she was younger, even outdoors in winter.
Zhou Jie practiced outdoors
While stubbornly fighting cancer, Zhou Jie led her dance school to achieve one gratifying result after another.
In the autumn of 2018, Zhou Jie, in a relatively stable condition, once again returned to China to visit relatives and friends and discussed the expansion of dance schools in China.
This time, the two of us made a special trip to Shanghai to visit Zhou Jie, and found that she had lost a lot of weight, but when it came to carrying out Chinese and foreign dance, cultural exchanges and the establishment of additional dance schools, Zhou Jie was completely sick, and various plans and programs were like family treasures, and in addition to excitement, she also went to the Shanghai Meilan Lake Golf Club with us for sightseeing. She said happily: "I want to go back to the United States to learn from big brother, start playing, and strive for an early recovery!" ”
To encourage her to continue contributing to the dance industry, we gave her a bronze sculpture of a dancer. This is the last photo of us and Zhou Jie.
The author and his wife presented Zhou Jie with a bronze statue dancer
In May 2019, Zhou Jie was hospitalized with an emergency. After investigation, the cancer cells have metastasized to the meninges. After doubling the dose of the targeted drug, the effect is not good. At this time, the hospital suggested that Zhou Jie try the intracranial chemotherapy program and officially inform Zhou Jie that from the date of diagnosis of meningeal metastasis, her survival time was only 4 weeks to 6 months, an average of about 3 months.
In this regard, Zhou Jie was frank and right, without any wavering or depression. She laughed and Xiao Wu several times and said: "I don't believe or be afraid, you know, before a big competition, I broke my collarbone, broke my ribs once, and there were countless minor injuries, I didn't insist on coming over, I still have so much to do, how can I not have it for a few months?" ”
After more than 3 months of observation and weighing, Zhou Jieyu underwent brain surgery and began intracranial chemotherapy.
Since then, Zhou Jie and Xiao Wu have communicated more closely, how they feel after each treatment, what they eat can improve their immunity, how to exercise in the hospital bed... When we chatted happily, we could still hear Zhou Jie's confident laughter.
Even if it was only calculated until October this year, Zhou Jie had lived tenaciously for more than two years. It is more than 8 times higher than the average time limit prescribed by a Doctor in the United States. It is no wonder that American doctors are surprised and respectful to call Zhou Jie "a miracle of life", which also makes us look forward to her recovery.
Overcoming many difficulties, we will return to the motherland and create spiritual miracles again
Under the ravages of the global epidemic, Zhou Jie overcame many difficulties with an extremely sick and weak body, and even at the cost of her life, flew across the ocean and traveled thousands of miles to realize the wish to return to the motherland, and created a spiritual miracle that made people sigh incomparably.
In June this year, Liu Sanjie's granddaughter huang Wanqiu in Shanghai wanted to record a dance video to apply for the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Wanqiu asked Xiao Wu for Zhou Jie's help, but she did not expect that Xiao Wu and Zhou Jie said that after only ten minutes, Zhou Jie sent video images of her in several classrooms at the Shanghai Dance School, and happily said that the child chose to use it and wished her success in the exam. Encouraged by Aunt Zhou Jie, the child was finally admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music as he wished.
In July 2021, Zhou Jie was hospitalized again with an acute illness. She may feel that she doesn't have much time to come, and the content of her and Xiao Wu's calls often revolve around the same old topic: returning to Shanghai. She said: "Xiao Wuhe, I want to go back to Shanghai too much, the food here always has no taste at home, there are not many people who can speak from the heart, usually too cold, I miss Shanghai Oh... ”
Our attitude is that we firmly support Zhou Jie's return to Shanghai.
After that, Zhou Jie's speed of speech began to slow down, often intermittently saying: "I am Chinese, and I heard that the ticket back to China is very expensive... The formalities were troublesome... We're figuring out a way, and I'll let my husband do it... I definitely want to go back! ”
After August, I never received any more phone calls and messages from Zhou Jie. Our hearts began to tense, Xiao Wu had to send a voice greeting to Zhou Jie every day or two, and sent a total of more than 20 unanswered greetings.
Around the beginning of September, Zhou Jie's husband answered us with WeChat: Zhou Jie is fine and is working hard to return to Shanghai. This news makes us happy to wait again.
Later, through the introduction of Zhou Jie's relatives and her husband, we learned how Zhou Jie created the second miracle.
Zhou Jie's request to return to China has received strong support and assistance from the Chinese Embassy in the United States and the relevant departments of Shanghai Municipality.
On September 16, Ambassador Qin Gang, the staff representative of our embassy in the United States, greeted Zhou Jie and wished her "smooth homecoming and early recovery."
The relevant departments of Shanghai Municipality have also made various full preparations and arrangements for Zhou Jie's return.
With the consent of the relevant authorities, Zhou Jie chartered a small U.S. ambulance aircraft (see photo below) at her own expense and took off from Houston's Hobby Airport at 8:30 a.m. on September 22. The aircraft is equipped with a doctor and nurse from the Houston Hospital, as well as related medical equipment and medicines.
Accompanied by her husband, Zhou Jie was carried onto the plane in her sleep.
Due to the small size of the aircraft, the aircraft needs to be refueled many times, so it has set up four landing gas stations in Auckland, Hawaii, the Marshall Islands and Guam.
When the plane landed on Guam, it was found that the hydraulic system of the landing gear had failed, and it was repaired in the local area and repaired only after the original was flown in from the United States.
For this reason, he stayed in Guam for an additional 30 hours.
Zhou Jie was sent to the local hotel to rest, and in addition to being unable to speak, she was extremely calm and emotionally peaceful and peaceful. But because of the language barrier, Zhou Jie and his wife's meals were solved through video by relatives who insisted on staying day and night in Houston.
During the whole flight, this hero of the Chinese dance scene just slept quietly, without any danger or treatment, and for every inquiry of Mr. Zhou Jie, the American doctor's answer had only one word of praise: good!
As long as Zhou Jie woke up, she always held Mr. Zhou's hand tightly, her beautiful eyes flashed with a question mark of expectation, and as long as Mr. Zhou Jie replied softly, "I'm almost home", Zhou Jie closed her eyes peacefully and slept with confidence.
The plane carrying Zhou Jie took off from Guam on September 25 and arrived at Shanghai International Pudong Airport at 3:30 a.m. Chinese time on September 26.
After the plane landed, Zhou Jie and his wife were arranged to isolate in the same ward of a hospital. At this time, Zhou Jie was as peaceful as a sleeping baby, sweetly and deeply asleep...
At 10:03 on the 5th night after returning home, she slept forever in her husband's arms!
On the morning of October 3, Zhou Jie's husband sent me a WeChat: Big brother, I am so heartbroken that I can no longer accompany her! Zhou Jie and I thank you.
Brother, if you hurt, why don't our hearts hurt?
Since September 30, Xiao Wu has said from time to time that his heart is not feeling; on October 1, I went to play and wore the same T-shirt that I wore when I last met Zhou Jie 3 years ago...
The angelic Zhou Jie bloomed a glorious life in the human world; Zhou Jie's feat of returning to his homeland with his heart and love will always be engraved in our hearts!
Author: Wu Linping (Dancer), Yang Guangping (Senior Engineer) October 7, 2021 in Beijing