On Father's Day on June 16, Yanzi, the niece of the late famous artist Tang Jiezhong, was interviewed by a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily to reminisce about the last days of "Old Grandpa".
Swallow took care of and accompanied Tang Jiezhong for ten years, and in Tang Jiezhong's last days, she has always been by her side. On June 18, 2017, Tang Jiezhong died of illness at the age of 85.
Swallow said that her granddaughter likes to watch a TV show, "Survival in the Wild", and every time she sees this show, she remembers the days when she was with the old man. During Tang Jiezhong's hospitalization, Swallow encouraged Grandpa: You just want us to live in the wild, and if there is no one else, we will live. I help you, you work hard, just carry you out of bed every day, then carry you to a wheelchair, push you to the corridor for a walk.
In Yanzi's view, Tang Jiezhong fought against the disease with tenacious perseverance, so she named her grandfather "Tang Qiangqiang". At that time, it was already difficult for the old man to speak, but when he heard his niece call him like this, he was happy. "That smile is imprinted in my mind, and it will never go away."
Tang Jiezhong and niece Swallow
Always optimistic in the face of illness
Favorite to play selfies with my niece
In 2016, on the eve of Tang Jiezhong's 85th birthday, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily visited him at his residence. At that time, Tang Jiezhong was not blind and deaf, and he also had a good tooth to eat. Thanks to the proper maintenance of his youth, Tang Jiezhong at that time, in addition to the disease of senile disease, his body bones were still very tough and mentally good, and under the careful care of Swallow, he smiled every day, and could eat, drink and sleep.
At that time, Yanzi told the Beijing Youth Daily reporter that as early as 2010, Tang Jiezhong was found to have prostate cancer, and in 2014, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and it was already in the middle and advanced stages when he was found. During the fight with the disease, the old man has been optimistic and has exceeded the doctor's expectations. Swallow said that he did not want to worry the audience who loved him, and hoped that what he left for everyone would always be happy, so the Dao that was there at the time did not mention his cancer.
The old man liked to let his niece take him for a walk around. Not much talk during walks, but enjoy taking pictures. Swallow accompanies Grandpa every day for walks, fish, and sees favorite scenes, and Grandpa will ask his niece to take pictures of him - the biggest pleasure of the grandfathers on weekdays is to play selfies.
Because of the illness, the old man had some difficulty in speaking. Swallow helps Grandpa practice talking and counting every day. "Push him every day to count the fish, look at the flowers, and say tongue twisters. After his death, I often dreamed of saying tongue twisters to him, watching fish with him, and taking pictures together. I woke up in tears. Swallow choked.
I loved meat when I was alive
The elbows bought by the apprentice were eaten in half a meal
Until his death, Tang Jiezhong's diet and sleep have always been relatively casual: every day to sleep until natural awakening, eat breakfast at eight or nine o'clock, then walk in the courtyard, tired back to the room to sleep, wake up at one or two o'clock in the afternoon to drink water, measure blood pressure, take antihypertensive drugs, health care drugs, and eat lunch at about 3:30.
Swallow said that the old man's favorite food is meat, braised meat, diced chicken, roast goose are all his favorite to eat, but afraid that his stomach is not easy to digest, the general manager does not let him eat more. Once the grandfather wanted to eat pig's elbow, the big apprentice Li Jianhua bought the elbow, the old man's appetite was wide open, and he ate almost half of it. Swallow looked at it and did not let him eat it, afraid that it would not be easy to digest.
He came up with a way to let Tang Jiezhong learn to divert his painful attention
"Grandpa was a little upset and said that he wouldn't let him eat anything and die." But I insisted on not letting him eat, and then gave him a little every morning and ate it for a few days. Later, I had a little difficulty swallowing, couldn't eat it, and asked me: Is there still an elbow that Jianhua bought? I said: It's in the freezer, and he's relieved. Swallow choked, now remembering a little regret, if only he had followed Grandpa's wish and let him eat more when it was not difficult for him to swallow.
Finally time to be conscious
Heartbroken niece is too tired to write a note for the caregiver
Swallow told the Beijing Youth Daily reporter that in January 2017, the old man's condition deteriorated, he was sent to the hospital for treatment, and he was never discharged from the hospital. Swallow recalled that during the hospitalization of the grandfather, he infused and infused the gastric tube almost every day for several months, which was unbearable for ordinary people. "I told him: We must not give up, we must persist. If you live more than three years, you will live for five years, you will be fine, and I will take good care of you. Every time I gave him a thumbs up and a pat on the shoulder to call him 'Don Strong', he smiled at me. ”
In May 2017, after rescuing the gastrointestinal bleeding caused by cancer, Tang Jiezhong once improved under the careful treatment of medical staff. After the hospitalization, Grandpa's consciousness had always been sober, and whoever came to visit him knew it, but it was laborious to speak. By June 18th, "Tang Qiangqiang" never woke up again. "He ended up speaking clearly and wrote me the word 'male', meaning to ask me to hire a male caregiver. He knew I was tired and had a bad waist. ”
Swallow said that she had kept the note until now, and every time she saw it, she burst into tears.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Shou Penghuan Courtesy photo/Tang Jiezhong's niece Swallow