At an early stage of the epidemic, patients and their families in Wuhan had to wait for help given the shortage of medical resources.

Desperately running from one hospital to another, 27-year-old He Xuan couldn’t find a single bed available for his mother, who was infected with the novel coronavirus.

“Having realized Wuhan was in a dire medical situation with COVID-19 patients increasing, I tried to find her a bed on my own.”

Hopes were slim, but He Xuan said he had to try.

On February 7, bringing his mother’s lung scan profile to Jinyintan Hospital, the fourth medical center He visited, he saw our news crew and asked if we could help.

During the epidemic, we were able to put him in touch with the government’s task force. Two days later, his mother was hospitalized.

The son would occasionally prepare her soup and sent it there.

“She texted me saying her condition had gotten much better after several days of respiratory distress,” He Xuan said, noting her insomnia was also relieved through medical treatment.

The mother was discharged on February 20, and the family had planned to enjoy some time together. But their joy was short-lived.

Official notices said another two weeks of medical observation in designated isolation facilities was required.

“To be honest, my mother nearly collapsed,” He Xuan said. “I tried to comfort her, saying the government was just looking out for us.”

There have been medical warnings about reinfection. That’s why he showed support of a fuller medical treatment and quarantine.

Due the respiratory distress, the son seldom had a video call with his mother. But now, they do it quite often. He admits he rarely spent time talking to his parents before the epidemic. Now he prioritizes that.

When looking for a bed, he went online to explain his situation and got help from many, including psychological counselors. He has used what he learned from them to comfort his parents.

Given the amount of help he received, he wants to volunteer in some way, but he has to wait. The community says it is still cautious about his goodwill because he had contact with infected individuals, but he will be welcomed after a certain period.

The busy retailing streets in his neighborhood have to wait as well.

He Xuan worried the epidemic would not only impact the businesses, but also the city itself.