Tibetan doctor saves lives amid grief
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Dr. Nyima Tsering finished yet another operation before he rushed to a mass funeral Saturday at Gyegu Monastery, where his seven relatives lay dead.
The fatigue on the doctor's face instantly gave way to an outpouring of grief when he saw the photos of two sisters, three nieces, a nephew and a maternal aunt -- all dead. They were his only relatives.
Nyima Tsering's parents died when he was a child and he was brought up by his two sisters. "They were like mothers to me," he said.
The 43-year-old wept uncontrollably in his first open expression of anguish since the 7.1-magnitude quake of April 14 toppled his home in northwest China's Qinghai Province.
The quake, which shook the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu at 7:49 a.m. Wednesday, had killed 1,706 people and injured more than 12,000 as of Sunday.
When the quake struck, Nyima Tsering, a surgeon, was exercising at King Gesar's Square in the heart of Yushu. "I suddenly fell on the ground, as if an invisible hand had pushed me hard," he said. "I felt dizzy and heard people crying everywhere."
When he realized what had happened, he got up and ran all the way to the hospital where he worked. Dozens of injured residents were already waiting for help.
Shortly after he started working, his only surviving relative -- a nephew -- called and told him the whole family had been buried when the family home collapsed. The young man was outside washing his car at the time, escaping death unlike the others.
"The hospital had never been so crowded. Many patients were lying on the floor, moaning for help, but there were not enough doctors," said Nyima Tsering.
So he stayed until more doctors were called in at 10 a.m.
Then he rushed to his family home and without tools, used his hands to remove the rubble. His fingers were bleeding but he could not reach or hear any of his relatives.
When he heard cries for help from the ruins of his neighbor's house, he did not hesitate to help. A little girl was saved because of his actions.
Nyima Tsering went back to work in the hospital as soon as rescuers arrived and began searching for his family amongst the debris. "I couldn't do anything there. The patients needed me."
For nearly 72 hours after the quake, he did not lie down to rest. He treated hundreds of patients, fixing their fractured bones and stitching up their wounds.
"When I was told my seven relatives were all dead, I thought I was dreaming, and feared I might go insane if I thought too much about it. So I worked really hard and tried to forget the pain."
Nyima Tsering did not think he was a hero. "I just did my job. I was trained to save lives and there's no reason why I shouldn't."a
