Journey to a remote Chinese county that a US citizen calls home

Hospital president Huang Jiong told me that Plymire is a pastor with a modest income. The equipment donated to the county was secured via donations from friends and friends of friends, dollar by dollar, and thanks to the great determination of Plymire to help people in Huangyuan.

"On Plymire's 20-plus trips here, he wore the same old vest on several visits," Huang recalled while pointing to some of the photos on the wall. "He is actually a man of frugality."

At the time, the equipment Plymire donated was unavailable at any other county-level hospital in Qinghai. With the hardware and paired assistance from supporting doctors, the hospital became a well-known medical institution in the region.

The CT scanner at the door, Huang told me, served over 20,000 patients during its 15 years of operation. Relying on it, hundreds of critically ill patients with cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction and meningitis received timely diagnosis, buying precious time for surgical rescue and saving numerous lives.

Standing before the photos and the array of retired machines, I began to understand why the people of Huangyuan hold Plymire in such high regard.

In addition to donating medical equipment, Plymire also coordinated with foreign friends to teach English at local schools, according to Huang.