Norman Bethune was born in March 1890 in a small Canadian town. This foreigner, who seems to have nothing to do with China, has come to China with his enthusiasm for communism and internationalism.
You know, there is a Pacific Ocean between China and Canada, and I don't know when I will be able to return to my hometown.
March is the day of spring. He was born in the spring and also came to Yan'an, China, in the spring. The arrival of Mr. Bethune was a spring breeze that could rejuvenate the battlefield for China, which was deeply engaged in a bitter war at that time.
Different from the tenderness and care of doctors to patients and soldiers to the people, in the history of love, Bethune has another side that belongs to that woman.
Although Bethune divorced her twice, he never really let go of her in his heart, but still remembered her when he was dying.
In his suicide note to Nie Rongzhen, he wrote:
"I ask the International Aid Committee to allocate a living allowance to my divorced wife, Mrs. Campbell, in installments. I owe a great deal of responsibility to her, and I must not abandon her because she has no money. And tell her that I was very guilty and that I was happy. ”
This Mrs. Campbell is Bethune's lover, France.
She is 11 years apart from Bethune. When they first met, France was only 22 years old. Even though there is such a difference in age, the two are not affected by the age gap, and they feel compatible at first sight.
Previously, Bethune had not considered the idea of marriage. But when he saw this pure, refined and wise woman, he immediately understood that the person he had been waiting for for all these years was her, and Francis was his destined companion for the rest of his life.
Knowing his heart, Bethune immediately launched a fierce and sincere pursuit, and soon the two were married in the same year.
The following year, the couple moved from London to the United States.
In the United States, Bethune still did not forget his original intention, and he and his wife treated the poor in the local area. Francis did not blame Bethune for treating people at any cost or in return, but she was very worried about Bethune's health.
Due to the long period of fatigue and frequent contact with all kinds of patients, Bethune's immunity began to decline, and his body became weaker and weaker. He often coughs and loses his hair, and in the face of his wife's worries, he will comfort his wife in turn, and use jokes to make her less worried.
But the body doesn't really get better because of some jokes. One day, Bethune coughed up blood. He looked at the bright red blood stains on his handkerchief and realized that he could no longer ignore it.
After examination, Bethune learned that he had severe tuberculosis. The disease was not a fatal disease in modern times, but it was a terminal illness at the time. This is undoubtedly a deathbed notice for Bethune. After careful consideration, Bethune made the decision to divorce.
This is not because Bethune no longer loves his wife, but because he loves her too much to make her endure the misery of her life after death.
Bethune said to her: "I am dying, and you have a whole life left, I want you to divorce me and go your own way." ”
From this sentence, it can be known that Bethune wanted Frances to be happy more than he wanted her to belong to himself. Francis disagreed, but Bethune forced Francis to divorce him on the grounds that he would not receive treatment.
Without the bond of his lover, Bethune began to experiment on himself, and finally with his extraordinary talent and courage, he invented artificial pneumothorax therapy and cured his terminal illness.
After recovering from his illness, Bethune immediately thought of France, and he was desperate to see her again. He wrote: "Healed, today from Trudeau." The feelings for you are still the same, would you like to marry me? ”
Frances also did not forget Bethune, and these days she did not look for a new person, but looked forward to Bethune day and night that he could return to him.
She said, "How many more times can I say that?" I love you. I'll wait for you. In this way, the two stepped over the sickle of death and entered the palace of marriage again.
This serious illness also sharpened Bethune's spirit like never before, and he wanted to improve his medical skills more and more, save more people, and help those countries that were being poisoned by fascism.
"I meet the world, I erode the world, I live up to my mission, so that I can meet all beings."
Bethune's ideas coincide with the great Greek philosopher Socrates. He began to work and study more day and night, and he devoted all his body and soul to the liberation of the people, neglecting his wife.
Sometimes, he even spoke to Francis for a few words a day, not caring about food or life, and tinkering with the models and human tissues that were used for research.
Frances began to feel left out, and she felt that she might be dragging her husband down. But Bethune didn't realize that there was a huge rift in their relationship, and that feeling of disdain made Francis feel angry and aggrieved.
One day, Frances formally filed for divorce from Bethune. She believes that their relationship has reached the point of no return.
Bethune felt uncontrollable anger when he heard this, he felt betrayed, but after a while he figured it out. When the relationship breaks down, the best thing is to let go, which is the greatest tolerance and love for the other party.
If there is still fate and love, it will always be reunited again. Unfortunately, Bethune did not wait for the day of reunion. Not long after, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out in China, and the Japanese fascists burned, killed, and looted all kinds of evil on Chinese soil. Out of a communist doctor's sense of justice, Bethune came to China.
At that time, the commander-in-chief of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, where Bethune was located, was Nie Rongzhen.
During the battle of Qihui, Nie Rongzhen received a telegram from Bethune, and after reading it, he was deeply shocked by Bethune's "completely altruistic" spirit of saving people.
At that time, Bethune had worked 40 hours and performed 71 surgeries, but a large number of wounded soldiers were still being sent from the front.
In order to allow the wounded to be treated as soon as possible, Bethune worked for three days and three nights in a row, working for a total of 69 hours and performing 115 surgeries, despite the dissuasion of others.
However, such a warrior who seemed to be beaten with iron also fell one day.
On November 12, 1939, Bethune accidentally scratched his finger while working intensively. But he did not stop, but continued to operate on the wounded at the risk of infection. Unfortunately, this time the gods of fate did not favor him again.
Due to an infected wound and an already very poor physical condition, Bethune suffered from sepsis, and a great warrior fell.
Just a month earlier, Bethune had planned to return home to seek help, but war broke out again, so he stayed.
Maybe after returning home, Bethune could meet Frances again and say a few words, but in the end, a thousand words turned into a suicide note.
Back then, when the CCP leader proposed to introduce a wife to Bethune, he refused, because he knew that feelings were not casual.
And when he chose to give up his personal feelings, go to China and stay in China, it was because he knew that the realization of communism was the ideal he would fight for all his life.
As he wrote in his epitaph at the time of tuberculosis: "Born a bourgeoisie, died a communist." ”
Nowadays, "Bethune" is no longer a name, but a symbol, an internationalist spirit of self-sacrifice, a spirit that everyone should learn. #长文创作激励计划#
Bibliography:
October 29, 2014 16:41 Source: Hebei Daily, "The Oldest Soldier of the Eighth Route Army" Bethune: Set a world record for the cure rate
2011-04-18 16:20 Source: Chinanews.com-Chinese Newspaper Digest, Bethune's joys and sorrows