Liu Yongquan pushes his mother in a wheelchair. Photographed by Gu Risheng and Wang Guozhu.
In Xinghua, a mother who had been declared by the hospital as having no further treatment value—a patient in a vegetative state—miraculously woke up after three months following her son's heart-wrenching calls. What is less known to the public is that the son is a 2008 graduate of Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts & Design. His biological father passed away early, and to save his single mother, he abandoned his job in Beijing and borrowed over 100,000 yuan from classmates and relatives. Yesterday, the reporter approached this suffering mother-son duo.
"As long as there is still a breath, I will save my mom."
Yesterday, in a civilian house in the Xixia Community of Zhaoyang Town, Xinghua City, the reporter met this suffering mother-son pair. The mother, Xu Meihua, is a retired worker from the former Xinghua Gas Cylinder Factory; the son, Liu Yongquan, graduated from Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts & Design in Art Design in 2008. The reporter observed that the house was sparsely furnished, but a brand-new disabled person's wheelchair and a toilet chair were particularly noticeable. Xu Meihua, paralyzed and sitting in the wheelchair, said emotionally that her family originally lived on the third floor, but her son rented this bungalow for her convenience so she could go out and bask in the sun. The brand-new disabled person's wheelchair and toilet chair were specially "custom-made" for her by her son.
Liu Yongquan told the reporter that his biological father passed away early, and it was his mother who raised him alone and sent him to Tsinghua University. Last September, right after graduating from school, he was hired by a company in Beijing. Just as he was about to report for work, he received the news of his mother suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage, and he hurriedly returned from Beijing to his hometown in Xinghua. "The condition is too severe, basically not worth treating," a doctor at a local hospital told Liu Yongquan, who had just arrived. Looking at his mother with dilated pupils and a life like a flickering candle, Liu Yongquan burst into tears, grabbing the doctor's hand and saying: "No, as long as there is still a breath, I will save my mom, please think of a way."
"I'm sorry, I can't go to work."
At the time, Xu Meihua was completely unconscious, without any sensation, and the doctors declared her in a vegetative state. Treating someone in a vegetative state is extremely expensive. Since his mother had been laid off for many years, the family had almost no savings, and Liu Yongquan did not yet have a formal job. When he returned home from Beijing, he only had six yuan left. In despair, he thought of his classmates studying in Beijing. After learning of his difficulties, his classmates generously extended a helping hand, and one by one, loans were wired to him. Accompanying his mother during her 35-day hospital stay in Xinghua cost over 105,000 yuan in borrowed medical expenses. During this period, the Beijing company that had hired him repeatedly urged him to come to work. Initially, he didn't want to give up, using the excuse of family matters to take a few days off; later, seeing how urgently they were pressing him, he had to reveal the truth: "I'm sorry, my mother has a serious illness, I need to accompany her for treatment, I can't go to work."
Yesterday, facing the reporter, Liu Yongquan said emotionally that he could always find another job, but if his mother lost the chance for treatment and couldn't wake up, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Despite that company offering his dream position, giving it up was the only choice he could make at the time.
"Mom, Mom, wake up."
During the 35 days his mother was hospitalized in Xinghua, except for going out to raise funds, Liu Yongquan was almost never far from his mother's side, losing over ten kilograms. To help his mother wake up sooner, under the guidance of the doctors, he called out repeatedly next to her ear: "Mom, Mom, wake up," until his voice became hoarse. Perhaps his sincerity moved heaven and earth, and on the 32nd day of her coma, his mother finally showed an extremely slight reaction, moving her head slightly in response to his call. Liu Yongquan said that although his mother's movement was small, he was overjoyed. Although his mother was still in a coma, he believed she would definitely wake up.
To fully "wake" his comatose mother, despite the local hospital claiming they had already "done their best," Liu Yongquan, with the borrowed money, transferred his mother to Nanjing Zijin Hospital for "hyperbaric oxygen therapy." Due to the bumpy road and the severity of her condition, his mother was immediately placed in intensive care upon arrival at the hospital. To his surprise, on the third day, his mother's condition improved, and she was transferred to a regular ward.
To help his mother wake up as soon as possible, in addition to calling out to her constantly, Liu Yongquan also focused on providing her with nutrition. Every morning at 5 o'clock, he would get up and go to the market to buy groceries, then prepare "nutritional meals" for his mother. To prevent bedsores from constant lying down, he regularly helped her clean herself, turn over, and manage her bowel movements. In the second month, a miracle finally happened—his mother’s eyes could see things, and she even called out his name. "This patient recovering to this extent in such a short time can be considered a miracle. This is also rare in our hospital," said the attending physician at Zijin Hospital to Liu Yongquan. By the third month, his mother could speak, and her speech became increasingly clear.
To maintain the continuous treatment costs for his mother, Liu Yongquan now temporarily works at a friend's company in Changzhou. Knowing his situation, his friend takes special care of him, allowing him to return home to see his mother anytime. Worried about leaving his mother alone at home, he also specifically hired a caregiver to look after her. Currently, his mother can only sit in a wheelchair, and Liu Yongquan told the reporter: "I will work hard to earn money, striving to let my mom stand up again, and repay every penny borrowed from friends."
By correspondent Gu Risheng and reporter Wang Guozhu.
Related reading:
- Video: A man caring for his vegetative wife for 13 years wakes her up.
- Video: A wife uses drinking games to awaken her husband from a five-year coma.
- A husband guards his vegetative wife for 30 years, waking her up.
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