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The second day after the operation, Gong felt her pain easing. Within two weeks, the wound healed, and she was able to have radiotherapy. Now regular checkups indicate she is recovering from the cancer.

It was the first time in the world that such a large wound was healed without skin flaps and implants, according to Li Yongzhong, director of the hospital's burns and plastic surgery department.

But that's just a sample of what Topaz has done to enhance medical cooperation between China and Israel.

In 2008, when news came that an 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan, Topaz volunteered to the province's foreign experts' affairs bureau to help save critically injured victims.

He soon arrived in Deyang, one of the most severely hit areas, donating medical devices and medicines that cost 100,000 yuan ($16,000) and treating patients.