If you knew the time of someone you love was running out, what would you do? When a life partner falls victim to hemiplegia and her condition keeps deteriorating, the clock counting down her remaining time became the driving force for Liu Peijin, a 69-year-old former soldier from Shandong Province, to decide to take his wife out to see the wider world — transforming her final chapter into beautiful memories and fulfilling a promise made long ago before they must part.
According to reports, Uncle Liu devoted himself to serving the nation in the military for more than 18 years, leaving him with little opportunity to stay home and care for his wife. Even so, the couple shared a dream and a promise: to travel all across the country together in retirement.
However, in 2010, Uncle Liu's wife suffered complications from diabetes that left the left side of her body paralysed. Although she received continuous treatment, her condition did not improve. Uncle Liu therefore decided to press forward and make their long-held dream a reality.
"We would rather die on the road than die in a hospital bed," was the view shared by Uncle Liu and his wife.
The two set off on their first trip in 2014, driving their own car toward Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province. Although their daughter initially objected out of concern for her mother's health, Uncle Liu noticed that every time his wife came out to experience the outside world, she visibly became much more lively.
Later, he decided to switch to a campervan fully fitted with all the necessary amenities, while himself taking on the roles of driver, cook, doctor, nurse, and carer — administering her medication and closely assisting her with physiotherapy.
Thanks to his dedicated care, his wife has not suffered from muscle atrophy, and the deterioration of her body has slowed in a remarkable way. Moreover, throughout their journeys they have received the kindness and assistance of many strangers, with some even going out of their way to seek the couple out because they wanted to meet them.
Over more than a decade on the road, the two have travelled through 31 provincial-level administrative regions, with each trip sometimes lasting as long as three months. Even so, Uncle Liu always assesses the risks and prepares himself to deal with any worst-case scenario.
At present, they are planning to set off once again, this time to explore lesser-known, off-the-beaten-path destinations.
After the story was shared online, netizens left comments such as: "Uncle Liu is such a devoted husband — if his wife had to stay cooped up at home all day, her health certainly wouldn't be this good," and "This is the kind of love everyone dreams of — not flashy, but steady and lasting. The older generation may not say sweet words very often, but they show it through their actions."
Source: 'Die on the road, not in hospital': Chinese man takes paralysed wife on epic road trip (SCMP)
