82-year-old Chinese man took 12-hour trip for 105 days to visit wife in ICU

CHINA: An elderly man’s devotion to his wife went viral earlier this month as the story of his taking 12-hour round-trip trips to visit her in the hospital for 105 days before she passed away was widely shared. Videos from CCTV footage of his visits to her have also been posted on social media.

An 82-year-old farmer from Zhoushan named Chen Achong had been married to his wife, Mdm Xue, for over five decades. She was 76 when she passed away on March 13.

“Whenever I have time, I will visit her grave. She was the best wife in the world,” a report in the South China Morning Post quoted Mr Chen as telling the media.

According to the Chinese media outlet Xinwenfang, Mdm Xue had a stroke last year and afterwards contracted severe pneumonia, a disease common among the elderly and one of the leading causes of hospitalisation. As a result, she was confined to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Li Huili Hospital in Ningbo.

Her devoted husband visited her every day for over three months while she was at the ICU, rising at 4:30 a.m. to prepare food in order to save money. After that, he would take two buses to get to the hospital, where he sat at his wife’s bedside from 10:30 to 11:00 am, the allowed visiting time.

After that precious half-hour together, he would wait at the hospital until he took the bus ride home. The next day, his routine started all over again.

The couple has one son, but because he had to work, Mr. Chen was the only person who could visit Mdm Xue daily.

Later on, after witnessing his devotion to his wife, the hospital adjusted the allowed visiting hours just for Mr Chen.

Additionally, his fare on public transport was also waived, and people donated over 140,000 yuan (S$26,000), which was very helpful, because he had spent his life savings of 100,000 yuan (S$18,650) for Ms Xue’s medical treatment. Their son’s house was also sold for this purpose.

Love and devotion

The SCMP report says that when Mdm Xue was alive, Mr Chen would hold her hand, wipe her face, and adjust her blankets during his visits. He would also remember their many years together, from the times when she kept their house in good order while he worked all day in the fields to all the times when they had fish, and she gave him all the best parts, taking only the tail and head for herself.

On March 13, after Mr Chen left Mdm Xue for the day, the hospital called him to say that her heartbeat had stopped, and doctors were unable to revive her. He and his son then went to the hospital to bid her goodbye.

Though his heart was shattered by the loss, Mr Chen thanked the people who had extended financial help, adding that he would pay back what he owed. /TISG

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