A Book Donation Across the Ocean:Eternal Love Reaches a U.S. Cancer Center

A Book Donation Across the Ocean:Eternal Love Reaches a U.S. Cancer Center

In November 2025, twenty hardcover copies of Eternal Love—the English edition of a novel by Chinese author Xue Mo—were donated to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

UPMC Hillman is one of only 57 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States and the only one of its kind in western Pennsylvania. The books were placed in the Gumberg Family Resource Center, a quiet space where patients and families can rest, read, and find emotional support during treatment.

A Small Act, and the Quiet Warmth It Carried

When I first encountered Eternal Love by Xue Mo, it was not through the printed page, but through its audiobook. I did not know what to expect. I had only heard that it was a novel about illness and courage.

Yet as the narrator’s voice carried the story forward—quiet, restrained, and deeply human—the emotions reached me with an unexpected clarity. The sense of inner transparency it opened up was striking, and that feeling has stayed with me ever since.

When I later read the physical book, I realized it was a deeply intimate and human work—one that lingered in my mind long after I closed the final page.

The story unfolds through a series of letters exchanged between a young girl named Yatou, who is suffering from tongue cancer, and her teacher. What moved me most was not the plot itself, but the quiet honesty with which the book portrays fear, hope, and the dignity a person can maintain even in the face of uncertainty. Those letters became a space where she could face death truthfully, while gradually finding inner steadiness and a sense of self-redemption.

Reading First, Then Sharing

This donation was not something I planned from the beginning. It started with reading—and listening.

Over time, Eternal Love quietly changed the way I related to life’s difficulties. It did not offer answers or instructions. Instead, it offered something gentler and more enduring: a sense of being accompanied, a steadiness when facing uncertainty, and the ability to look at life’s changes with greater clarity and kindness.

When a book brings this kind of inner calm, the desire to share it arises naturally. This donation was simply a way of passing on something I had already received—doing a small, manageable thing within the society I live in, and sharing a little of the warmth that once supported me.

Why This Book Speaks to Modern Life

The reason I chose to donate the English edition of Eternal Love is quite simple.

Part of it was a response to the encouragement consistently conveyed by the author Xue Mo—an invitation to act, rather than remain only in reflection. Compared with participating in online donations in the past, I gradually realized that it was time to complete an action entirely on my own, here in the place where I live.

More importantly, the themes of this book speak directly to the realities many people face in modern life. When someone is confronted with uncertainty, loss, or the possibility of limited time—whether through illness or other life disruptions—the sudden sense of helplessness can be overwhelming. While modern medicine and social systems can offer support, they cannot remove the deeper questions we all encounter.

Ultimately, questions of life and death, meaning and dignity are not limited to any single group. They are part of being human. Eternal Love explores these questions quietly and honestly, through lived experience rather than abstract ideas. This is why its story resonates so strongly—not only with patients in a cancer center, but with anyone navigating pressure, uncertainty, and change in contemporary life.

Giving Because One Has Been Helped

This donation was not charity in the abstract. It came from personal experience.

When placing the order on Amazon, I mentioned to customer service that the books were being purchased for donation. After hearing a brief description of the story, the representative paused and said he would like to buy a copy for himself. It was an ordinary, unplanned exchange, yet it carried an unexpected warmth—another reminder that stories often travel farther than we imagine.

A Morning of Small Joys

The books were delivered to the Family Resource Center at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. The space felt quiet and welcoming, more like a reading room than a hospital.

When the boxes were opened, the staff’s reaction was immediate and genuine. Seeing that all the copies were hardcover editions—new, carefully made, and beautiful to hold—brought a simple joy that made all the preparation feel worthwhile.

During our conversation, another unexpected connection emerged: we turned out to be alumni of the same university. What began as a formal donation became a warm exchange—books handed over, gratitude shared, and connections formed that none of us had anticipated.

Letting the Books Find Their Readers

After the handover, the books were placed quietly on the shelves. There was nothing more for me to do. Whether they would be picked up or not would unfold naturally, following the rhythms of daily life.

These words are written simply as a personal record—capturing the experience and reflections that accompanied the donation of twenty copies of Eternal Love. They are not meant to promote a person or a philosophy, but to remain as a keepsake.

If even one reader opens the book and feels a little less alone, a little steadier, or a little more at ease with life’s changes, then the journey these books made across the ocean will have found its meaning.

Zhaoyu (Ricky)Zhang