A French Son-in-Law in Wuhan Battle

By Yang Zhigang, Wang Siban, Yue Wenwan & Zhang Xinyi Photos by Wang Siban

During the battle against COVID-19, behind medical workers stand a group of volunteers. They worked on the streets or in the communities of Wuhan every day and night to keep this big city running. Among them, Frederic Domeck from Lyon, France attracted our attention.

8 years ago, Frederic settled down in Wuhan with his wife, and taught French at Wuhan University of Technology.

On January 26, when asked if he would like to join the volunteer motorcade and deliver supplies to hospitals and communities, this veteran, full of experience in dealing with complicated situations and unknown danger, readily accepted his friend’s offer without any hesitation, thus becoming a member of Leopard Change volunteer motorcade.

“I’m healthy. I have a big car. So I think I can help.” In more than one month, he drove his car to deliver disinfectant, rubber gloves, protective suits, and foods to hospitals, and send vegetables and daily supplies to communities, driving over 600 kilometers. “Frederic is earnest and down-to-earth. He has set a good example,” said Wan Bin, a member of the motorcade.

All the time, Frederic was holding a smart phone on his hand. He needed to use the translation apps to communicate with others.

At the end of January, when the French government started to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan, Frederic and his family decided to stay. “My wife, my daughter, and my mother are all here in Wuhan, so I cannot go back to France.”

“There are a great number of volunteering groups in Wuhan,” said Wang Zhixiang, a member of the motorcade. “In our motorcade, we have 7 teams of drivers. And more citizens are joining the volunteer services to help those in need. Up to now, we have provided volunteer services for nearly 500 hospitals in total.”

Frederic concluded, “All of us are delivering protective kits, medical supplies, and foods to medical workers. They are not fighting alone, and behind them is the entire Chinese nation. Morale is very high in Wuhan.” (Source: Xinhua News Agency. Translation: Fan Jiayu)

Frederic Domeck goes to the supermarket to buy supplies弗雷德到超市代購物資

武漢抗疫戰, 志愿者們是白衣戰士身后堅強的后盾。他們為這個城市的運轉日夜奔波。在志愿者中，有一個身影格外引人注目，他是來自法國里昂的弗雷德。

8年前弗雷德隨愛人來到武漢，曾在武漢理工大學當法語老師。

1月26日朋友詢問他，是否愿意加入志愿車隊，為醫院與社區運輸物資。曾是一名軍人的弗雷德，早已習慣處理復雜危險的情況，很爽快地答應了，成為豹變支援車隊的一員。

“我很健康，我的車空間也挺大，我可以幫忙。”一個多月來，他開著自己的車給醫院送去消毒水、橡膠手套、防護服、飯菜，還幫社區運輸蔬菜、日常生活用品等，跑了近600 公里。車隊隊員萬斌說：“弗雷德做事非常踏實，而且極其認真。他給我們的影響很大。”

由于語言不通，弗雷德時刻將手機拿在手中，出現溝通障礙時，就打開翻譯軟件輸入法語轉換為中文，與對方一句一句地溝通交流。

1月底，法國政府開始從武漢撤離法國僑民，但弗雷德與家人堅定地留在了武漢。“我的妻女和媽媽都在武漢，我沒有理由回法國。”

“武漢還有很多志愿服務團隊，我們的車隊就有7 組人，此外還有很多市民志愿者采取行動，去支援需要幫助的人群。”車隊隊員王治翔說，“我們現在支持的醫院，有將近500 家了。”

弗雷德說：“大家都在為醫護人員運送防護用品、醫療物資和食物。醫護人員不是獨自在奮戰，他們背后是所有的中國人。武漢的士氣很高昂。”