Hero of the day

A Chinese police officer keeps quake orphans alive by breast-feeding them.

Published May 22, 2008 7:40PM (EDT)

Talk about beyond the call of duty: A Chinese policewoman helped save the lives of nine babies by breast-feeding them after they were orphaned or separated from their mothers as a result of the May 12 earthquake. In a very sweet way, she's all humble and 'eh, whatever' about it, too:

"I am breast-feeding, so I can feed babies … This was a small thing, not worth mentioning."

Right, except for the part where she kept nine babies alive in a plot twist that feels straight out of Steinbeck. The 29-year-old mother, Jiang Xiaojuan, has become a celebrity in China, and is being hailed as a hero on the papers' front pages. As the death toll soars past 50,000, it's nice to have a little good news to celebrate. You can remember Jiang next time someone complains about the evils of women popping out their boobs in public.


By Sarah Hepola

Sarah Hepola is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, "Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget."

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