. . . And on the Other Side of the World
Earlier this year, on January 21, before most of the world even knew the coronavirus existed, Qingquan (Tony) Zhang, ’15, received word from his friend and fellow Chicago Booth alumnus, Qiang Du, ’07, that Wuhan, China, was being locked down due to a strange new virus sweeping the city. Medical equipment was in short supply, and he asked if anyone could help. Zhang, who was raised in China but immigrated to the United States in 2003, sprang into action.
“I learned at Booth that we have a social responsibility to try to make an impact,” Zhang said. “I received an education from one of the top universities in the world, and I feel it’s my duty to help others.”
Zhang watched in horror as he was sent videos of residents rushing out of the city, potentially infecting each other. He immediately set up a GoFundMe page, and contacted Booth alumni in China and the United States for help. Within 24 hours, the page raised $24,000. Zhang then reached out to Booth alumni in the health-care field to locate masks, ventilators, and other necessary supplies. However, there were other difficulties.
“We couldn’t just send everything through FedEx. We needed an export and import license. The Chinese hospitals needed approval from regulators. . . . There were so many logistical challenges we hadn’t anticipated,” Zhang said. “But the Booth connection is so powerful, with so many people in so many industries on both sides of the Pacific, that we were able to send our first shipment within 10 days.”
The group eventually raised $120,000 and were able to send approximately 7,000 N95 medical respirators, 12,000 coveralls, and 2,250 protective goggles to China.
“It was so exciting to see photos of the Chinese doctors unloading the supplies,” Zhang said. “I know nothing about medicine, but by the Booth community working together, we were still able to save lives.”