Cangzhou: Good wife Liu Zhirong cares for her paralyzed husband for 30 years

In Xiaozhuangzi Village, Jinniu Town, Qingxian County, there is a good wife praised by everyone, her name is Liu Zhirong. Thirty years ago, her husband suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage from overwork and became paralyzed in bed, and she resolutely shouldered the burden of the family alone. Over the past 30 years she has carefully cared for her husband, and the story of the family facing life with optimism and strength has become a much-told tale among the neighbors.

Husband paralyzed, family hits rock bottom

Recently, the reporter came to Liu Zhirong's home in Xiaozhuangzi Village, Jinniu Town, Qingxian County, where she was giving a full-body massage to her husband Ji Zhenjia, who lies on the kang. She told the reporter that this is something she has had to do every day for 30 years, and besides the massage, there is much more she has to do each day.

Liu Zhirong, 61 this year, and Ji Zhenjia, 60, are ordinary villagers of Xiaozhuangzi Village. To earn money to support the family, Ji Zhenjia not only farmed the land but also worked at a factory in the village. The children were lovely and well-behaved, and the parents and brothers in the family got along harmoniously. Just as the family was looking forward to a bright future, a sudden disaster plunged the whole family to rock bottom.

In 1989, Ji Zhenjia, then 33, suddenly fainted at work, and his family rushed him to the hospital, but this collapse left him unable to ever stand again. After examination, Ji Zhenjia was found to have suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage due to overwork. "At the time the doctor's answer was paralysis, that he might never be able to stand up again. I felt like the sky was falling, but for the sake of this family I could not lose heart in the slightest." Liu Zhirong choked up as she recalled the scene. She said that at that time the children were still young, and everyone was waiting for her to take care of them; no matter what, she had to shoulder all of this. 30 years of devoted care, never forgetting the vow

After the grief, life returned to calm. Liu Zhirong did not know how the days ahead would pass, or what difficulties life would still bring... Facing countless unknowns, the simple and kindhearted Liu Zhirong had only one thought: no matter how bitter or hard it was, she had to grit her teeth and persevere.

Over the past 30 years, Liu Zhirong has never forgotten her vow of true devotion. When he first came home from the hospital, her husband could not turn over, his limbs had no strength, and he needed help with eating, drinking, and using the toilet. Because his body had no sensation, he often urinated or defecated in his pants or on the bedding. Every winter Liu Zhirong had to prepare five or six cotton-padded trousers and more than a dozen beds of bedding for her husband. She had to wake up five or six times a night to help her husband turn over.

With no source of income, no matter how bitter or tiring it was, Liu Zhirong persisted in farming the family's more than 9 mu of land, carrying water, farming, washing clothes, cooking... and also caring for her paralyzed husband in bed. To treat her husband's illness, the family fell into debt of 20,000 yuan. Twenty thousand yuan, for a family like theirs at that time, was simply an astronomical figure, but the frail Liu Zhirong ultimately chose to face it with strength. Whenever night fell and the family was sound asleep, Liu Zhirong would do some odd jobs to supplement the household income.

During the interview, Liu Zhirong told the reporter that when Ji Zhenjia had just become paralyzed, his mood was very unstable, and he often smashed things, spoke harshly to Liu Zhirong, and even had thoughts of ending his life. Liu Zhirong often said to him: "You are the head of the family, the children's father, our backbone. As long as you are still here, we are a family, and no matter how great the difficulty, we can get through it." Encouraged and comforted by Liu Zhirong, Ji Zhenjia decided to live on well.

Working together to bring happiness back

Over the past 30 years, Liu Zhirong, like caring for a child, has meticulously arranged her husband's three meals a day and daily life. In order to help her husband recover better, in her spare time Liu Zhirong also massages him and helps him exercise. After Ji Zhenjia became paralyzed, Liu Zhirong put her main energy into caring for her husband, and sometimes neglected caring for the children. "The children were still young, and I had no time to care for them. Sometimes when they put on clothes, I just let them practice putting them on themselves. My youngest is especially greedy for food; when people stewed fish during the New Year, she would run over to watch. Other people's children could buy a popsicle in summer, but our children never ate a single popsicle. I feel I owe the children so much," Liu Zhirong said. Although Liu Zhirong did not care for the children enough, the children became more and more sensible, comforting their bedridden father and their mother, who toiled day and night, with excellent grades every year.

Liu Zhirong devoted all her energy and love to her husband and children, but the long-term heavy burden of life has left Liu Zhirong's health much worse than before. Now, the children have all grown up and established their own families and careers. Liu Zhirong's kind and resilient character has always infected and influenced the children, and the children are very filial to their parents. Talking about life in the future, the honest Liu Zhirong smiled faintly and said that the hardest days have passed, and she hopes life will gradually get better.

At the end of the interview, Ji Zhenjia said that over the years his wife has not been willing to buy even a decent piece of clothing. Now that the weather is turning cold, he hopes a kindhearted person can help him buy a down jacket, which he wants to give with his own hands to his good wife Liu Zhirong.