About Dr. Zhang Xu
Dr. Zhang Xu was born in 1963 in Anshan, Liaoning Province. He graduated from JinZhou University in 1987 and became an orthopedic surgeon in Anshan Third Hospital at the same year. He soon became a popular doctor in the hospital with a fast-rising career. In May of 1997, while working with a Chinese medical mission in Yemen, he injured his neck in a diving accident.
He was dying when sent back to Beijing, where he was hospitalized in an ICU ward in the China Rehabilitation Research Center. At that time he was deeply depressed, and even thought of ending his life, for he really could not see any hope in his future. Then he got a book titled “Joni.” It is about an American girl who had almost same experience as his. The book had a strong influence on him, and he translated it into Chinese so the book could help other Chinese people with disabilities.
The book was well received and won a National Award. Later, he translated more medical texts and articles. Through the Internet, he communicated daily with friends thorough the world. Through these friends, he began to realize that disability is viewed abroad in ways very different from China. He knows that he should continue his work with disabled people, but he also knows that his training in orthopedics before did not prepare him for the sort of work he need to do with disabled people.
As a Chinese doctor, he realized rehabilitation is still not well developed in China, and most people do not appreciate its importance. The main reason for that is that physical and occupational rehabilitation programs are simply not available to most patients. He realized that he needed more training to do much more for people with disabilities in China. He was prepared to dedicate himself to a career in rehabilitation in his hometown and even to the nation.
In 2003, with the help from Hong Kong Society of Rehabilitation, he had training for rehabilitation in Hong Kong for one year. After that, he visited several rehabilitation centers in the United States and Japan. He also had opportunities to see many disability organizations or self-help groups in these places. Now, he is studying a distance learning course of Rehabilitation Counseling in San Diego State University.
To have a better way to help disabled people, also encouraged by what he had seen in Hong Kong and the U.S., he started a non-governmental organization – Anshan Bethesda Rehabilitation Ministry. Under his leadership, the Bethesda is working hard to help the disabled people in Anshan, rehabilitating them both physically and mentally. Dr. Zhang Xu’s long term goal is to set up a comprehensive center in Anshan, which could provide basic medical care, basic rehabilitation, gathering, and entertainment to people with disabilities in the community.