Chapter 39: The Young Athletes

The Frontier Province is a powerhouse of sports. Its basketball and soccer teams are among the best in the Northwest, and its boxing and kickboxing programs are equally formidable. Not far from Zhang Fan’s hospital is a specialized sports school. Sometimes, as Zhang Fan passes by, he sees very young children practicing boxing, their punches landing with solid, rhythmic thuds. It makes Zhang Fan wince just watching, but the children are always full of excitement. People certainly have different passions.

One morning, after the staff meeting, Dr. Li called from the outpatient clinic. "Zhang Fan, do you know how to perform an arthroscopic knee surgery? I just admitted a child with a knee injury. If you aren't comfortable with it, just admit her, and I’ll handle it tomorrow."

"I can do it; it’s no problem. Director Li, you don't need to worry. I’ll perform the admission examination and get it done," replied Zhang Fan. Dr. Li and Dr. Cui had recently been appointed as associate directors of the department.

Soon after, a man dressed in athletic gear with a whistle around his neck—clearly a physical education teacher—entered the doctors' office. "Excuse me, which one is Dr. Zhang?"

"That would be me. Where is the patient?" Zhang Fan asked, recalling that Dr. Li had mentioned a child.

"She's right outside."

"Good, take her straight to the ward. I need to perform a physical exam."

The patient was a small girl, about eleven or twelve years old. Despite the intense pain from her knee injury, she didn't shed a single tear; she had a tough, resilient air about her. After helping her onto the bed, Zhang Fan noticed severe swelling in her left knee. "She’s on the boxing team," the PE teacher said anxiously. "This morning, while playing soccer with some of the boys, she didn't warm up properly. She made a sharp turn and injured her knee. Doctor, you have to find a way to fix it—she’s a real talent."

"Don't worry for now. I’ll examine her and order an MRI to assess the damage. Where is her family?"

"She’s Kazakh, from the pastoral areas. We can't reach them immediately, but we’ve sent word. They should be here by tomorrow."

It was already afternoon by the time the examinations were finished. The PE teacher, Wu Yanchao, a graduate of the boxing coaching program at the Sports University, was determined to train a Chinese version of Mike Tyson. He had traveled all over the country before finding this promising talent, Guli. Despite being a young girl, she possessed incredible natural ability. Wu Yanchao had been training her for two years with impressive results, only for her to get injured playing around with the boys that morning. Several other teachers from the sports school, all burly men, had carried little Guli in to be examined with ease. The girl herself was still in high spirits, too young to understand that her athletic career might be coming to an end.

During the department meeting, after discussing other surgeries, Zhang Fan pulled out Guli's MRI scans. "The patient is an eleven-year-old female student, a member of the sports school. She was admitted after sustaining a knee injury while playing soccer, resulting in pain, swelling, and limited range of motion. The preliminary diagnosis is an anterior cruciate ligament tear." As Zhang Fan explained, everyone exchanged blank stares. Dr. Li had worked a full day in the clinic yesterday and was resting at home. None of the others were specialists in arthroscopic surgery, and they were unfamiliar with what Zhang Fan was describing.

"What do you suggest?" asked Dr. Gao. He was a spinal specialist and had only a general understanding of knee arthroscopy. The reason the department lacked expertise in this area was that the consumables for knee arthroscopy were essentially just a few specialized threads, and the procedure hadn't yet gained traction at the municipal hospital.

"Considering the child’s age and her goal of becoming a professional athlete, I have decided against a simple suture with silk thread. Silk sutures cause scarring on the ligament; while it doesn't affect a normal person’s movement, it wouldn't suffice for a professional athlete. I want to use a bio-absorbable screw and fix it via an anterior approach. Since she is still growing, this will allow for a faster recovery. The screw will be absorbed in about six months and will have almost no long-term negative impact on her."

"Very well. Since you have a plan, proceed. How do you need us to assist?"

"The hospital doesn't stock these bio-absorbable screws! And they aren't cheap."

"I will contact the suppliers. You should talk to the family to see if they are facing any financial difficulties. If it comes to it, we can reach out to the medical device vendors to see if they might provide some assistance. This is the first time we’ve performed this procedure in our city; there’s potential for us to promote it."

After the meeting, Dr. Zhou draped an arm around Zhang Fan’s shoulder and asked, "How much does that thing cost?"

"It’s hard to say. For a major brand, at least thirty thousand."

"For one?"

"Yes." Xue Fei, who was standing nearby, heard this, and the two looked at each other. "Did we choose the wrong specialty? Arthroscopy seems to have a bright future."

Guli’s family came from a rural pastoral area. By evening, her parents, brother, and sister had all arrived. It was a large group. Although the city had seen its first snowfall, it wasn't yet freezing, but the pastoral regions had already entered the dead of winter. Her family wore heavy fur coats and thick felt boots. They didn't speak Chinese, so Guli acted as the translator. After Zhang Fan explained the surgical procedure, he touched upon the costs, assuring them not to worry too much, as the hospital would try to find a vendor willing to provide charity support.

"How much? Are five sheep enough?" her brother asked.

"That won't be quite enough. The domestic materials are of lower quality," Zhang Fan explained after Guli translated.

"A cow, or if that’s not enough, a horse. Will that be enough?"

"Are you not going to wait for the hospital to contact the vendors?"

"If you can contact them, that’s great, but if not, just perform the surgery as soon as possible. Don't worry about the costs. Her health is what matters most."

The family didn't look particularly wealthy; their coats and boots were handmade. They possessed the distinct, rugged appearance of people from the highlands—sun-kissed cheeks with a permanent ruddy glow and rough, calloused hands that spoke of years of heavy labor. Puzzled, Zhang Fan returned to the nurses' station to write out the orders. The head nurse looked at him and said, "What’s wrong? You look confused."

"Guli's family is in such a rush to get the surgery done, but they don't look like a well-off family."

"That’s where you’re wrong. People here who dress in flashy clothes aren't necessarily rich; they might just be scammers. But in the pastoral areas, if someone owns a few hundred acres of pasture, they are a 'Bai'—a wealthy landowner, you know? A friend of mine was marrying off her daughter, and she told her in-laws, 'Look at that mountain over there; all the livestock on it is my daughter's dowry.' Her husband’s family was from the city, and when they saw the sprawling flocks of sheep, white as clouds, they were speechless."

Dr. Gao contacted the medical device vendors. Li Qiong’s agency had them in stock, but it would take three or four days to ship them since the hospital didn't keep them on hand. When Dr. Li came in and heard about the surgical plan from Zhang Fan, he was surprised. "I’ve seen this procedure a few times when I visited the provincial hospital. Are you confident?"

"Yes. When I was in Qingdao, they had an arthroscopy center that performed this surgery specifically for athletes. I performed several of them back then. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Good. When the equipment arrives, I’ll assist you. I’d like to learn as well."

Wang Yanan, standing nearby, rolled her eyes at Dr. Li—her spot as the first assistant had been ruthlessly snatched away.