Chapter 6: The War

*

Deer draped a towel around Jane's hair and gently patted it, sharing a hair care tip with her. "When drying your hair, don't rub too forcefully. Like this, gently press and pat with a towel to remove excess moisture. Then, use a hairdryer. It's best to have a bottle of hair serum. Apply it when your hair is half dry..."

Jane closed her eyes and rested, without giving a response, unaware of how much she had absorbed.

Deer understood her tiredness and set the hairdryer to the lowest setting, reducing the noise to help her fall asleep.

In the world of medicine, people have always worked tirelessly, often beyond the protection of labor laws.

And it wasn't just physical fatigue, but also mental tiredness, constantly needing to be in a state of high concentration.

The weight of precious lives rests on one's shoulders, and a small mistake, if not careful, could lead to irreparable consequences.

Blow it about 70-80% dry, and Deer lets her hair air dry naturally.

Now the sun is shining brightly, but after 2 p.m., it will start to weaken.

Deer got up and went to the sofa to fetch a fluffy blanket to wrap around her. Then she sat back beside her and took out a pen and paper, carefully illustrating the scene of her air-drying her hair under the sunlight, stroke by stroke.

In the evening, Jianqing went out for a while. When she returned, Deer noticed that there were various hair care products and lots of left-handed tools added to the house.

Deer, who was used to using her left hand, found it very inconvenient to use many everyday items such as scissors, mouse, and hairdryer, which were all designed for right-handed people.

From childhood to adulthood, she always made do with what she had.

No one ever noticed her compromises.

Deer grabbed the new pair of scissors and gave it a couple of test cuts. It felt incredibly comfortable in her hands.

She looked at Jianqing, her eyes becoming clear and gentle.

Jianqing didn't look at her, as usual, silently doing her own thing.

Deer retracted her gaze, lowering her head with a smile as she tidied and organized her tools.

For the first time, she felt that this person with a disordered mind had a tiny bit of thoughtfulness.

*

The next day was Sunday, but the hospital didn't acknowledge weekends, only shifts.

In her work state, Jianqing became completely oblivious, often ignoring Deer's presence.

Deer Yinxixi wasn't always by her side. Occasionally, she would assist the doctors and nurses by running errands, delivering items, and printing documents.

In the corridor of the Tumor Department, there was a wish wall. Whenever Deer Yinxixi passed by, she would pause and take a few glimpses.

The wall was filled with colorful labels, each one adorned with encouraging words.

[I will surely conquer the tumor. I still want to study, take exams, and drink milk tea. I have never had a girlfriend!]

[I hope my dad gets better. I want to take him to see the Great Wall and ________.]

These were the wishes written by patients and their families.

[All our fellow patients are our allies in this battle!]

[Keep going, keep going, don't fall down, don't give up, the patients and their families are watching you!]

These were messages written by the medical staff.

The people here are encouraging and comforting each other.

The deer looked at the stream one by one, when suddenly someone gently pulled the corner of her white coat and said, "Sister."

She lowered her head and saw a little girl with a smooth head, delicate features, and a wristband on her left hand.

She crouched down and met the little patient's gaze, softly asking, "What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

The little girl looked completely lost, "I can't find my mommy..."

Startled by the words, the deer drinking from the stream couldn't help but imagine the worst.

Inside the hospital, there is both companionship and comfort, but also instances of abandonment and neglect, showcasing the bright and dark sides of human nature in constant play.

The deer stood up and took the little girl's hand, leading her towards the doctor's office. "Which bed are you staying in?"

The little girl walked with a limp, "Bed number eight."

The deer lowered his head and looked at her little legs, then crouched down once again. "Would you like a hug?"

The little girl shook her head, lifted her pants, and showed the deer her prosthetic leg. In a childish voice, she said, "I just got this new leg last week. I want to take a longer walk. It's been a long time since I walked on the road."

The deer didn't show a sympathetic look or provide comfort. Instead, it simply took off its own mask and revealed a smile. "Okay, I'll accompany you on this walk."

As they walked, they tried to find out when and where she had last seen her mom.

They reached the doctor's office, and Jane saw the little girl. She politely said to the patient in front of her, "I'm sorry, please wait for a moment."

Then she looked at the little girl and said, "Sandy?"

Why did you sneak out again?

The little girl named Sandy seemed somewhat afraid. She hugged the leg of Deer Yinxi, hiding behind him, and looked at Jane with her dark eyes.

Deer Yinxi gently rubbed her little bald head and said, "You're from Bed 8, right? You can't find your mom. There should be contact information for your family in the medical records."

Jane said to Sandy, "Your dad hurt his leg yesterday. Your mom went to the orthopedics department to bring him dinner. She'll be back soon." She also told Deer Yinxi, "Take her back to the ward. I have to work late tonight. You go eat something first."

Deer Yinxi breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, nodding gently. He took the little girl's hand and left the office.

Luckily, history didn't repeat itself. This time, she encountered a patient who was not abandoned.

*

Working until 8 o'clock in the evening, Jane pulled herself away from her work and remembered that Deer Yinxi had taken Sandy back to the ward and hadn't returned to the office.

She got up and went to bed number 8 to find someone.

Sandy, who was on bed number 8, was the youngest patient in Jane's care. She was only 10 years old and had suffered a relapse and metastasis after undergoing bone cancer amputation surgery.

When she was only 8 years old, Sandy discovered she had malignant bone tumor. For some time, she kept complaining about leg pain, but her parents didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just a result of normal child's play and bumps. They applied a few herbal ointments to ease the pain. However, when she was limping from the pain, they finally took her to the hospital for examination.

That year, the doctors performed an amputation surgery on her, removing her left lower leg with a saw to prevent the spread of cancer cells.

In the field of tumors, there is an important indicator called the "5-year survival rate". As long as there is no recurrence within 5 years, it can be considered as achieving the medical standard for cure. After 5 years, the probability of recurrence decreases significantly.

Sandy didn't make it through those 5 years. In the second year after the amputation surgery, there was a relapse and metastasis.

The cancer cells had spread to the lungs, but this time surgery was not an appropriate option. After a discussion among various specialists in a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting, Sandy was transferred from the orthopedics department to the oncology department.

Tumor patients would experience more intense pain during the night. Sometimes, Sandy would wake up in the middle of the night in pain, unable to see her mom. She would feel scared and sneak out of her hospital room, walking to the doctor's office in search of someone.

When Jianqing saw her entering the office for the first time, he rarely showed a trace of warmth. He let her sit beside him, waiting for her mom to come back. She didn't dare to refuse, feeling as if she had been kidnapped by a bad person. Sitting next to him with a look of grievance, she was so scared that she was on the verge of tears.

Jianqing was not good at comforting children, and the children were also afraid of her.

Once upon a time, when she was doing her rotation in the pediatric department, as soon as she entered the ward, cries erupted, scaring the head of the pediatric department who quickly pushed her away.

Sometimes, she would find herself sharing the same elevator with patients. If there was a child holding onto their parent, as soon as the child saw her in her white coat, they would inevitably start crying loudly. Some even reached out their little hands to push her away, with snot and tears, shouting, "Bad person, go away!" She had no choice but to step out of the elevator and wait for the next one.

*

Walking up to the door of Ward 8, Jianqing didn't go in. She crossed her arms and leaned against the door, watching Deer Drink from the Stream soothing the child.

Deer Drink from the Stream set up a small table on the bed, sitting cross-legged. She drew doodles on the paper while simultaneously creating stories.

"We agreed, this is the last story, after finishing it, you have to let me go and have my meal."

"Um, the last one."

Deer Drink from the Stream drew a cute cartoonish cancer cell in ink blue color. It had a nose, eyes, and held a spear, showing its teeth and claws.

Deer Drink from the Stream also drew a normal-looking cell, tracing a cheerful smile on its face, and wrote the word "Cell" beneath it.

"These are called cells, there are many cells living inside our bodies. One day, an evil cell appeared, it was a rebel among the normal cells."

Sangsang's gaze was stuck to the paper as she quietly listened to Deer Drink from the Stream tell stories.

"Bad cells steal the nutrients from healthy cells. The food we eat gets stolen by them. They refuse to do any work, being lazy and useless."

Deer Drink from the Stream continued to draw a cute cartoonish cancer cell and waved a big flag. On the flag, it said "Recruit".

"They also recruit and expand rapidly within our bodies, causing havoc, looting, and setting up camps. Hmm... just like the rebellious army you see in the picture book of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'."

Sangsang has placed many story picture books on the bedside table, including Journey to the West, Water Margin, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms...

The Three Kingdoms was placed at the very top, it was also the oldest, and its cover had started to curl.

Deer Drink from the Stream drew another cell wearing a military cap. "Just like there are rebellious bad cells, there are also good cells that suppress them. We usually call them immune cells. Immune cells are like the policemen in our bodies."

Then, he drew two lungs. "Sometimes, bad cells would disguise themselves as good cells, escaping the police's pursuit and gathering here in the lungs, claiming dominance over the land. They are very tiny, so when their numbers are small, we might not notice their presence. It's only when their numbers grow and their presence becomes significant that they are discovered."

Sangsang vaguely understood and asked, "Do I have many bad cells in my body?"

Deer Drink from the Stream nodded and said, "Yes. In the past, when the bad cells gathered in your leg, the doctor would perform surgery to remove them all at once. This is currently one of the most effective ways to defeat the bad cells."

The amputation surgery, which cleared the whole battlefield, was a form of treatment. For patients with small solid tumors, without local or distant spreading in the early or middle stages, surgery offered the greatest benefits.

Deer Drink from the Stream pointed to the lungs and said, "But these bad cells are very cunning. They can escape and change their location. The ones that were originally in the leg have now moved to the lungs and made a comeback."

She thought for a moment and drew an image of a female doctor wearing a white coat, "This is the tumor doctor, who can be seen as a general commanding the battle, or a commander, to help you defeat the bad cells. The medicine you receive during the day-"

She pointed to the IV bottle, "That's like the commander throwing a bomb onto the battlefield to kill the bad cells. However, there's a downside to doing this - some good cells might also get destroyed in the blast. So after receiving this medicine, you may experience hair loss, vomiting, and feel very uncomfortable."

The treatment through IV is called chemotherapy, which is the use of chemical drugs for treatment. The chemotherapy drugs don't differentiate between friend and foe, as they kill both cancer cells and normal cells.

"Besides bombs, the commander also had a laser gun (radiation therapy) that could kill the bad cells with beams of light. Of course, it had the same problem - it killed both the good and the bad cells."

Radiation therapy, which means using radiation to treat. The method of radiation therapy is also indiscriminate, killing a thousand enemies but injuring oneself eight hundred.

Sang Sang frowned and asked, "Can't they avoid killing the good cells? Why is the commander so fierce and yet so foolish?"

Listening to Jianqing being scolded by the little girl in a childish voice, Luyinxi couldn't help but burst into laughter and chimed in, "Yes, she is both fierce and foolish!"

Jianqing leaned against the door: ...

In the next moment, she explained again, "Of course, we can't blame her. It's just that we haven't discovered more and better weapons yet. Um... there is a method though, where we can avoid killing normal cells. Imagine shooting arrows."

Luyinxi drew a bow and arrow, along with a target. "When shooting arrows, our arrows need to aim for the red dot at the center, which is the bullseye. Bad cells also have bullseyes on them. As long as the arrows (targeted medicine) in the commander's hand aim for the bullseye, they can precisely kill the bad cells without harming the normal cells."

Sang Sang said, "This is very good..."

"It is very good, but there are two problems. First, there are not many targets found for the bad cells. Second, we lack suitable arrows (targeted drugs). So, many times, we cannot treat using this method."

Targeted therapy, which precisely aims at the targets on cancer cells, kills the cancer cells without harming normal cells.

"Is there no other way?"

"Yes, they started a war inside the body, making the immune cells attack the bad cells."

"There are a few ways, let me give you an example. As I mentioned earlier, bad cells can disguise themselves and escape the pursuit of the police (immune cells). Can you guess how they disguise themselves?"

Sangsang shook her head and said, "I can't guess."

Deer pointed to the previously drawn immune cell wearing a military cap.

This immune cell, it carried a lock (PD-1) on its body, while the bad cell had a key (PDL-1) on its body.

As long as the key in the hands of the bad cell matches the lock of the immune cell, then the immune cell cannot tell that it is a bad guy and mistakenly thinks it is a good person, so it stops chasing after it.

What we need to do is to seal off either the key or the lock, so that they can't match. This way, the immune cell can recognize the bad cell and kill it.

This way of starting a war, returning to the method of immune cells eliminating cancer cells, is called immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy, which has been the biggest breakthrough in the field of oncology in the past decade,

Sangsang looked at the doodles and slowly absorbed this knowledge.

Deer Drink Creek continued to sketch on the paper, quickly outlining a delicate and lovely little girl who was holding the hand of a female doctor.

She handed the drawing to Sangsang and smiled gently, saying, "Doctors are your comrades who fight alongside you, so don't be afraid of them. You should listen to the doctor sister and eat and sleep well. When you rest well, the power of immune cells in your body will become stronger."

From around 446 BC, the Persian queen cut off her cancerous breast, initiating the first revolutionary surgery for treating cancer, to the arrival of the era of immunotherapy in the 21st century, the war between humans and cancer has spanned thousands of years.

If cancer doesn't disappear, the war will continue.

Any patient who bravely confronts and battles against the illness is a comrade of the doctor.

*

Turning on the faucet, warm water gushed out, and Luyinxi washed away the ink stains from his hands.

In the hospital room, little Sangsang's mommy has returned. She holds Sangsang in her arms and soothes her to sleep.

Luyinxi arrived at the doorway and glanced at the little girl lying in her mommy's arms.

When you're sick, being able to lie in your mom's arms is the most comforting.

The sense of security brought by family is something that no one else can provide.

Luyinxi smiled and turned away.

She had been sitting cross-legged for a while, and her legs felt a bit numb. She leaned against the wall and walked slowly.

Passing by a small window, she stopped and looked up at the moon outside.

Her knowledge of literature was not extensive. When she saw the moon, the only thing that came to her mind was the phrase, "Raising her head, she gazed at the bright moon; lowering her head, she thought of her hometown."

Hometown, oh, hometown.

In this lifetime, will I be able to return to my hometown?

Will I ever be able to see my family again?

She hasn't seen her mother for many years. After they had a falling out when she was twenty, they never spoke a word to each other again.

The evening breeze gently flowed as she stood by the window, completely still. She simply gazed at the moon, longing for her hometown.

Jianqing approached, carrying a bag of small bread rolls, without making a sound to interrupt.

The small window cast only a small patch of moonlight, perfectly enveloping the person by the window.

Deer Drinking from the Stream stood in the moonlight, while Jianqing stood in the shadows, watching her silhouette silently, faithfully watching over her.