Margaret Ann Bulkley was born around 1789, in Ireland. She had big dreams. “I want to be a doctor!” But two hundred years ago a girl couldn’t become a doctor. Her uncle, James Barry, was a great painter. And his friend General Miranda had a library with more than 6,000 books. Margaret loved reading there. Her intelligence impressed him. Years later, her uncle James Barry died, leaving her some money. It was enough to study to be a doctor.

“But a girl can’t become a doctor,” said Margaret sadly.

“Yes, you can!” said General Miranda. “All you have to do is to disguise as a boy.” Margaret really wanted to be a doctor. So she cut off her long hair, practiced speaking in a deep voice, and put on boy’s clothes. She also named herself James Barry.

From then on, Margaret Ann Bulkley disappeared. She became James Barry and entered Edinburgh University. He took 13 subjects and worked all through the summer when the other students went on holiday.

Barry graduated in 1812 and decided to join the British Army. In his life, Dr. James Barry travelled all over the world, helping to save many lives. Before retirement, Barry had risen to the second highest medical officer in the British Army. Barry improved the conditions for not only wounded soldiers but also the local people, and performed the first recorded successful caesarean section (剖宫产) in Africa. The secret Dr. James Barry kept for over fifty years was only known after his death in 1865.

School had just started in August when Conner began throwing up for no reason. It wasn’t long before the boy also began suffering terrible headaches. In February a 1.7-inch tumor was found in his brain and Conner was set to begin to receive radiation (放射疗法) treatments. Before treatments start, technicians make a white plastic mask (面罩) to keep patients immovable and protect unaffected parts of the brain while radiation is directed at the tumor.

It’s an unpleasant experience and a frightening time. The doctor Cook decided that the masks could at least be made to look like something fun — maybe Batman or Mickey Mouse. “I started thinking these masks are white and not fun at all for kids,” she told The Greenville News. “I felt like if we could make it a little more fun for them, they might be a little more excited about coming in for the treatment. Because the kids are afraid. While the treatment itself isn’t physically painful, it can cause a lot of anxiety (焦虑). And the treatment is required daily for up to six weeks. “

And the masks really make a difference. “The kids really like them,” Cook said. “It makes what is, let’s face it, a terrible experience, a nice experience because they get to choose something themselves.”

When new children come in for the treatment, Cook finds out what their favorite movies or cartoon characters are. Then she sets about creating the mask by drawing the image she wants onto paper, sticking it with glue, and once it’s dry, she applies the colors using paints. Each child can take the mask home once the treatment ends.

“Coming to the doctor always means fear and pain. I wanted to make it fun,” she said. “The kids really love it. It’s something they enjoy and can relate to. And it fills an interest I have. I get great pleasure from it.”

As the saying goes, "A hero is known in the time of misfortune". Zhong Nanshan is a hero like this. He is a doctor in Guangdong, who saved many people's lives in 2003.

In 2003, SARS broke out in Guangdong. Later, it spread across China and other parts of the world. Patients coughed a lot and got fevers. Hundreds of patients even died from the disease. Even many doctors and nurses got SARS when they treated patients. So everyone was afraid of it. But Zhong was brave enough to fight the disease.   Zhong spent days and nights finding the cause of the disease. And with his way of treating, many patients began to get better. Zhong finally won peoples trust.

In early 2020, a disease called Novel Coronavirus pneumonia (新型冠状病毒肺炎) hit Wuhan. It spread quickly around tens of thousands of Chinese people were infected (感染). Zhong, 84, led his team to Wuhan to fight the illness. His team took many measures to cure the patients with Novel Coronavirus pneumonia. He advised people to wear masks, wash hands frequently stay at home and not to go to crowed places. Zhong likes sports very much. Although he was 67, he could still play basketball.

Now at the age of 84, Zhong still treats patients in the hospital and teaches young doctors. "I am just a doctor." Zhong says. But we think he is a hero and a fighter.