“Marathon Girl” Illness Draws Attention from Fellow Runners
At around 9 a.m. yesterday, reporters saw several citizens already engaging in charity sales and on-site donations for Zheng Ping near Fujaizhuang. Yu Lei, a Dalian runner and the organizer of the fundraising event, even specially offered commemorative medals from the recently held “Cross-Country Running Invitational” for charity sale. Yu Lei told reporters that more than ten days ago, he learned about Zheng Ping’s situation online, and after hearing her story from runners in Xiamen, he was deeply moved and decided to help her.
Yu Lei said Zheng Ping is only 22 years old and hails from a remote mountainous area in Zunyi, Guizhou Province. Starting at the age of 16, she went to Xiamen to work alone in order to help her parents support her younger siblings. In her spare time, Zheng Ping joined an amateur running team in Xiamen, and her marathon time for the 42.195-kilometer distance quickly improved to 3 hours and 30 minutes — a time that ranks her among the top 100 female runners nationwide. “Zheng Ping is tall, kind-hearted, enthusiastic, and very helpful. She’s extremely well-liked,” he said. Late last year, Zheng Ping began experiencing swelling and pain in her legs as well as swelling in her throat. Due to her low income, she endured the pain and continued working. It wasn’t until early April this year, with the help of runners in Xiamen, that she went to the hospital for a full checkup for the first time and was diagnosed with acute leukemia.
Eight Cities Run to Raise Funds for Zheng Ping
Yu Lei told reporters that according to local doctors, the initial diagnosis suggests Zheng Ping has a cure rate of over 60%, with treatment costs estimated at around 400,000 yuan. At present, with the help of many fellow runners, Zheng Ping has been admitted to a proper hospital in Xiamen.
Seeing that it would be difficult to raise the full treatment cost in a short time, runners in Xiamen sought help from fellow runners across the country via the internet. Within just over ten days of the message being posted, runners in eight cities responded. “Today, runners in Dalian, Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Yantai all organized fundraising runs,” Yu Lei told reporters. So far, over 160 runners in Dalian have joined the fundraising effort, and some philanthropic businesses have also participated. A sports goods store offered thousands of yuan worth of sports equipment for charity sale, and the marketing director of a sea cucumber company pledged to donate 100 yuan for every 10 kilometers run by any participant.
Dalian Raises Over 24,000 in Donations
At around 10 a.m. yesterday, the running event officially began. Over 160 runners, holding banners with messages of support for Zheng Ping, set off from Fujaizhuang toward the endpoint at Beida Bridge. The event attracted the attention of many passersby, who generously offered their help. By around 11:30 a.m., the fundraising activity concluded. Reporters learned that 100 runners completed the full 10-kilometer run, and the sea cucumber company fulfilled its promise by donating a total of 10,000 yuan. Coupled with donations from the runners, the total amount raised reached over 24,000 yuan. Yu Lei stated that he would send the money to Zheng Ping as soon as possible, hoping that the love and support from Dalian’s runners will help her overcome the illness and return to the running team.
At the time of reporting, the amount raised in Beijing had been tallied at over 25,000 yuan, while fundraising activities in the remaining cities were still ongoing.