Feature: African doctor offers a helping hand inquake-hit village

(Xinhua)

08:45, September 17, 2012

YILIANG, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chen Degang, a villager living in the mountain town ofLuozehe, the area most devastated by a 5.7-magnitude earthquake that struck onSept. 7, was watching TV on the second floor of his tile-roofed house when theearthquake that claimed 81 lives hit.

The house collapsed just after the 39-year-old man jumped to the ground.

As the county seat is a two-hour drive from his village and lots of aftershocks continuedto jolt the town, his injured left foot could not be treated immediately.

But some people told Chen that an African volunteer who studied traditional Chinesemedicine (TCM) could treat his injury.

Diarra Boubacar, 48, who got his medical doctor degree from Chengdu University ofTCM in 1997, diagnosed Chen with a heel tendon contusion. Boubacar wrappedChen's left heel with bandages after applying some medicine, then he gave Chen abottle of safflower oil and told him to stay off his feet.

Chen struggled to stand up and insisted that his wife bring a basin of water soBoubacar could wash his hands.

On Friday afternoon, Li Dehua, a 72-year-old veteran, was picking through the debrisof his collapsed house to check if there was anything useful left. Boubacar removed Li'sworn-out shoes and helped him put on a new pair of white shoes that were donated bya volunteer.

Although the shoes were a little too big, Li burst into grateful, but sorrowful tears. Helost everything in the quake but his 70-year-old wife and a 40-year-old mentally-illdaughter.

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（Editor：姚春、张茜）