Subway, airplane, bullet train, 12 hours across 1,200 kilometers, more than 20 volunteers relay escort...... This is the way home of the 28-year-old "wheelchair girl" Zhao Fangbin, and it is also the second "different Spring Festival" she has experienced after coming to Qingdao.
The muscles of his limbs atrophied, he completely lost the ability to walk, and even his ten fingers could not be fully extended, and since the age of 18, Zhao Fangbin's life has been tightly "tied" with a wheelchair. However, this "stubborn" girl was not willing to "accept her fate", she set off from a small town on the Jianghan Plain in Hubei Province in a wheelchair, successively traveled to Chongqing, Chengdu and other places, and finally came to Qingdao to pursue her dream.
Here, she not only saw the long-awaited sea and sand, but also gained a stable job and a satisfactory salary, and made a group of "close friends".
"As long as you have sunshine in your heart, you can reach the distant place of your dreams even if you are in a wheelchair. She said.
I'm the "group pet" on the way home
It's the Spring Festival again, and missing home is the best alarm clock.
At 5 o'clock in the morning on January 31, half an hour before the mobile phone alarm rang, Zhao Fangbin couldn't wait to turn on the lights and get up. On this day, she had to rush to Jiaodong International Airport to take a flight back to her hometown in Hubei at 10:30 a.m.
"I lay down at 10 o'clock last night, but I didn't sleep much all night, and I was very excited and excited to finally go home, and I was a little worried about the twists and turns on ......the road," she said.
This return trip is another "big test" for her and her beloved wheelchair. The wheelchair is parked within reach of the head of the bed, with a pink body, black wheels, and comfortable cushions, as long as he sits on it, Zhao Fangbin can paddle anywhere he wants. Last night, before going to bed, she deliberately wiped the wheelchair with a soft cloth over and over again.
Holding the armrest of the wheelchair with one hand, supporting the side of the bed with the other, at the moment when the two arms exert force, with the help of an inertia, the body is thrown from the bed to the wheelchair, although this action has been done many times, but it still consumes a lot of Zhao Fangbin's physical strength. Taking a breath of relief, he came to a suitcase placed in front of the bed, and Zhao Fangbin once again carefully checked the contents inside. Those health foods and nougats are gifts she prepares for her family. "Although it is extremely inconvenient to go out, after all, I am a wanderer who has returned home from afar, and I am still a person who receives a salary, so I must express my heart to my elders. ”
Zhao Fangbin put on beautiful light makeup for himself before going out
In order to present his grandparents and parents with a radiant self, Zhao Fangbin also deliberately put on light makeup before going out, "to make himself beautiful".
At 6:30 a.m., accompanied by volunteers, Zhao Fangbin skillfully paddled the two wheels of the wheelchair with both hands, left the house, entered the elevator, and temporarily bid farewell to his small home near Liaoyang West Road.
At this time, it was drizzling, and the volunteers who came to pick up Zhao Fangbin opened an umbrella above Zhao Fangbin's head, but she politely refused the kindness and insisted on rowing her wheelchair on the slippery ground. "It's too troublesome to play an umbrella, let's hurry up, I'm afraid the road will be delayed." Zhao Fangbin's home is more than 10 kilometers from Qingdao North Railway Station, and she has to get there first and then transfer to Metro Line 8 to go to Jiaodong International Airport.
After all, if you travel in a wheelchair, unexpected troubles will always come suddenly.
At 7:20, at the entrance of the West Square subway station of Qingdao North Railway Station, Zhao Fangbin encountered the first problem - he did not find the elevator leading to the subway station. Two enthusiastic passers-by told her that the entrance to this subway only has walking steps and escalators, and that you have to take a detour to the East Square to take the straight elevator. Looking at the time on his phone, a trace of anxiety and worry appeared on Zhao Fangbin's face.
At this time, three subway station staff rushed to the scene after receiving a message from the volunteers asking for help. In a hurry, everyone decided to carry a wheelchair to escort Zhao Fangbin into the station.
"Slow down...... Slow down ......" volunteers and subway station staff each carried a corner of the wheelchair and carefully walked down the steps step by step, reminding each other as they walked to prevent stepping on the air. By the time the last step landed on the underpass, someone was tired and sweating.
Volunteers and subway station staff lifted Zhao's wheelchair to help him descend the steps
"Wheelfriends sometimes encounter unexpected difficulties when traveling, but fortunately, there are many volunteers who will lend a hand. Zhao Fangbin said.
At 8:30, Zhao Fangbin arrived at the airport hall under the escort of volunteers. But when it came time to check in, a new problem arose.
During the check-in process at the window, the staff brought a folding wheelchair. "Your wheelchair needs to be checked in, and you can transfer to one of our wheelchairs. When Zhao Fangbin heard the news, he immediately became a little anxious. For her, moving from a special wheelchair adapted to her own movements to another unfamiliar wheelchair is undoubtedly another physical challenge. Just when she was worried, a number of volunteers from Shandong Airlines came. With their assistance, Zhao Fangbin successfully entered the cabin of the plane.
Volunteers from Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport introduced the new changes to Zhao Fangbin
Although there were two "episodes" along the way, this trip still made Zhao Fangbin feel "happy", "I almost became a 'group pet' along the way." ”
At Qingdao North Railway Station, the volunteers opened the green channel, and Zhao Fangbin sat in a wheelchair to go directly to the subway car; at Jiaodong International Airport Station, as soon as the subway door was opened, two volunteers stepped forward to help get off the train; a few minutes later, at the exit of the subway station, three volunteers from Qingdao Airport Group had been waiting for a long time; during the boarding process, the flight attendant Lu Yan of Shandong Airlines helped her sit smoothly and provided intimate service along the way; when the flight arrived at Wuhan Airport, the volunteers of Shandong Airlines escorted her all the way to the Tianhe Airport subway station, where many volunteers had prepared in advance......
At 6:30 p.m., after 12 hours, Zhao Fangbin successfully crossed 1,200 kilometers and returned to his hometown Qianjiang. She calculated that there were more than 20 volunteers who helped her along the way.
During the boarding process, Lu Yan, a flight attendant from the Fifth Division of Shandong Airlines, helped Zhao Fangbin take a seat (Photo courtesy of Shandong Airlines)
This is the second Spring Festival that Zhao Fangbin has experienced after coming to Qingdao to work.
In the 2023 Spring Festival, Zhao Fangbin departed from Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport and traveled to Chongqing, 1,500 kilometers away, to reunite with his parents. On that day, the continuous care from volunteers made her "break the defense". "Not only did I make the Spring Festival journey alone for the first time, but I also went to the toilet in a cramped toilet on an airplane for the first time, and since then I have gained the freedom to drink water during my trip. ”
Since then, he has experienced the seamless connection of barrier-free travel in Qingdao, and at the end of June 2023, Zhao Fangbin, who has confidence, also "secretly" returned home once. It took her sixteen or seventeen hours to do this.
"In July last year, my mother officially retired. In order to surprise her as soon as she returned to her hometown, I decided to do the most romantic thing of my life. As an "intimate little padded jacket", Zhao Fangbin "inquired" about his mother's itinerary on the day of her official retirement. She decided to create a unique sense of ritual that would bring her mother's 32-year career to a perfect end.
In order to take the first flight to Wuhan at 6:50 in the morning, Zhao Fangbin set off lightly at 8 p.m. on June 30, carrying only a small bag, she took the subway to the terminal of Jiaodong International Airport, and stayed up all night in a wheelchair.
"I'm probably the first wheelchair person to spend the night at the airport, and it feels like another interesting experience!" Zhao Fangbin later said in a video he posted, "In the early morning, at the moment of flight takeoff, the warm morning sun sprinkled on my body through the porthole, and I instantly forgot all my tiredness." ”
On the morning of July 1, Zhao Fangbin got on the bullet train to Qianjiang in Wuhan on time. On the phone, when he learned of his daughter's pick-up plan, his father Zhao Haifeng was full of "complaints". "Actually, my dad was very touched at the time, he didn't expect me to be so hearted, and felt that I had really grown up. Zhao Fangbin recalled that at 1 p.m. that day, an hour after she arrived at Qianjiang Station, her mother's train also arrived, "I hid in my father's car with flowers." The moment the car door opened, my mother was surprised for a few seconds, then came over and hugged me tightly......"
To find that life that was abandoned
On the evening of January 31, when I returned to my hometown after a long absence, the familiar smell of the New Year came to my face, and a dusty wheelchair pulled Zhao Fangbin's space-time coordinates back to many years ago.
Zhao Fangbin was born in an ordinary dual-income family. At the age of two, she was diagnosed with a rare neuronal disease and later diagnosed with peroneal muscular dystrophy. As her condition progressed, by the age of 12, she was no longer able to walk unaided, "only being supported to walk two steps, or lying on her parents' backs." Since then, she has longed for a wheelchair to drive herself.
At the age of 18, Zhao Fangbin was admitted to a university in Jingzhou, Hubei Province, but after thinking twice, she gave up the idea of continuing her studies. "When I was in high school, my parents rented a small house near the school to accompany me for three years in order to take care of me. If I go to college again, it means they have to quit their jobs and accompany me further afield...... I can't bear it. ”
That year, her parents were sent to Chongqing to work, and Zhao Fangbin temporarily stayed in her hometown to live alone, and her uncle gave her a wheelchair that she had bought for her grandmother.
Zhao Fangbin sits in her first wheelchair (photo provided by the interviewee)
"It was a big medical wheelchair, very uncomfortable and very uncomfortable to sit on. But Zhao Fangbin was satisfied. This is her first wheelchair, and since then, she can move freely around her home, and it has become less difficult to do laundry and cook. It's just that the family lives on the second floor, and going downstairs has become a luxury, "Most of the time I stay at home alone." ”
At the age of 21, Zhao Fangbin left his hometown to live with his parents in Chongqing. During this period, she obtained a college degree and an accounting certificate. Two years later, with the help of her father, she got a job as an accountant at a local factory. For this reason, her parents changed her to a wheelchair, which was wide and large and uncomfortable to sit on, but it was already the best wheelchair at the time. "The desire for freedom made me ignore the discomfort it brings, and it was an imported sports wheelchair that cost my mom a month's salary. ”
"Mom and Dad will eventually grow old, and I always have to learn to grow up and try to live independently. Therefore, I decided to go to a city further away to exercise myself. After working in Chongqing for three years, Zhao Fangbin went to Chengdu alone to work in new media, despite his parents' concerns and opposition. In her own words, it is to find the life that has been given up, to live the life like everyone else.
In this regard, father Zhao Haifeng said that at first, he did not agree with his daughter to go to Chengdu alone. However, I couldn't resist her, and I was not at ease, so I had to stay with her for a while. What I didn't expect was that she made a few positive friends there and quickly integrated into the circle, and I left with peace of mind. ”
However, a few months later, due to the company's poor management, Zhao Fangbin suffered layoffs, "At that time, it seemed that there was only one way in front of me, and that was to go home, let my parents help me find a job again, and continue to live a life where I could not go out alone." At that time, the short video account she operated in her spare time had already made small gains, and one of the popular items had more than 530,000 views and more than 50,000 likes.
"I'm going back to Qingdao, do you want to do something for the disabled in my hometown?" a Qingdao friend who is engaged in public welfare activities in Chengdu sent out an invitation. This proposal made Zhao Fangbin inexplicably moved, "I always have an obsession in my heart, that is, to live a different life." ”
When his daughter proposed to go to Qingdao again, Zhao Haifeng and his lover knew that it was useless even if they objected, so they could only sigh helplessly, "Why did you run farther and farther......"
One day in September 2022, from Wuhan to Qingdao, Zhao Fangbin did not expect that "the first time I took a plane was to go to an unknown city to pursue a new life." Landing in Qingdao, Zhao Fangbin saw the long-awaited sea and beach, and this wonderful journey was also reported by many media.
Zhao Fangbin at the beach (photo provided by the interviewee)
Zhao Fangbin's first job after coming to Qingdao was to engage in short video operations, from copywriting design to shooting and editing, she would repeatedly scrutinize and meticulously craft, and some video works gradually became "popular". Jiang Qihong, president of Qingdao Barrier-free Environment Promotion Association, was also introduced to Zhao Fangbin, "I found that she was serious and meticulous in her work, and she was very helpful." The promotion association needed such a talent, so it 'poached' her. ”
Since then, the gears of fate have been running smoothly, and Zhao Fangbin has been offered a stable job and a satisfactory salary.
After achieving financial independence, she had the idea of changing to a wheelchair again.
In June 2023, Zhao Fangbin went to Shanghai to adapt his own exclusive wheelchair. For the first time, she learned that there were many details to consider when choosing a wheelchair, because of the severe anterior pelvic tilt and spinal deformity, even the backrest had to be customized, and several adjustments.
"The smoothness of the new wheelchair was a temptation that I couldn't resist even if I had a hand hand. Zhao Fangbin did not hesitate to "throw" 30,000 yuan and spent all his savings. Some friends joked that this was the first luxury item in her life that she bought. But she said, "That's not luxury, that's freedom, and freedom has no price." ”
The delicate Barbie custom wheelchair seems to have become a part of Zhao Fangbin's body. Now, on weekends, she takes it to the nearby mall, or meets up with a group of "close friends", or goes to have a coffee alone and enjoy alone time. In her opinion, Qingdao is full of barrier-free facilities, and wheelchair travel is very convenient, which is not felt in her hometown town.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Zhao Fangbin also ran the first marathon in Qingdao.
It was October 2023, when the Qingdao Sea Marathon started, and she participated in the wheelchair running team organized by the Qingdao Disabled Persons' Federation.
After all, he has not received professional training, and although Zhao Fangbin keeps cheering himself up, his hands are already sore after only two kilometers of progress. Just as she was about to stop and take a lazy look, she suddenly found that the wheelchair moved on its own, "Could it be the divine assistance brought by the sea breeze?" Looking back, it turned out to be a runner who was sweating profusely behind him. In this way, on the five-kilometer track, runners continued to join the camp to help her successfully complete the course.
Zhao Fangbin said frankly that to this day, whenever she thinks of these pictures, she often feels warm, "Qingdao has become my second home." ”
Be a "philanthropist in a wheelchair"
"In a promotion event, I was featured on CCTV for introducing Qingdao's barrier-free facilities, and although I only showed my back, I was very happy. This is Zhao Fangbin's opening remarks in a short public welfare video.
Today, as the secretary-general of Qingdao Barrier-free Environment Promotion Association, Zhao Fangbin has become a "public welfare expert in a wheelchair". At every event, she shows her love for the city. Because here, she can go out alone in a wheelchair and go anywhere she wants.
Zhao Fangbin participated in the roadshow of Qingdao Barrier-free Environment Promotion Association (photo provided by the interviewee)
Similarly, Zhao Fangbin is constantly encouraging more people with disabilities to step out of their homes like her.
Ms. Qiao, a 47-year-old patient with a spinal cord injury, was left with a wheelchair in 2016 after being paraplegic in a car accident. After the accident, except for an occasional trip back to her mother's house in Liaocheng, she rarely left Qingdao. But in December 2023, Ms. Qiao made an "unprecedented" trip to the far side, and this trip was inseparable from Zhao Fangbin's encouragement.
Ms. Qiao and Zhao Fangbin first met in September 2023. At that time, the Qingdao Association for the Promotion of Barrier-free Environment held a popular science lecture on pressure sore care. At the event, Ms. Qiao saw confidence and sunshine from Zhao Fangbin's face. Since then, the two have developed a close bond.
A few months later, Ms. Qiao received an invitation to go to Beijing to participate in the new media short video operation and monetization live broadcast course. The training was jointly organized by the China Employment and Entrepreneurship Network Service Platform for Disabled Persons and a number of units, and Zhao Fangbin was one of the lecturers.
"Although I can only take care of myself semi-independently, I can make short videos, because creating short videos has changed my life that was almost ruined by a car accident. For such a rare learning opportunity, Ms. Qiao naturally did not want to miss it.
However, since she has not been out for a long time, Ms. Qiao has both longing and many concerns about going to Beijing to study, "I am worried that I will encounter a lot of inconvenience when I travel in a wheelchair. Zhao Fangbin gave me a lot of encouragement, she is also disabled, and she is physically disabled, she can become a self-media blogger with more than one million influences on the whole network, which gives me a lot of encouragement. Ms. Qiao said she ended up on a train bound for Beijing.
Zhao Fangbin participated in the 2023 Qingdao Sea Marathon "Mini Run" (photo provided by the interviewee)
Zhao Fangbin's dedication to public welfare left a deep impression on Jiang Qihong.
In May last year, the Qingdao Association for the Promotion of Barrier-free Environment organized eight Barrier-free Publicity Month activities. Jiang Qihong noticed that Zhao Fangbin was responsible for event planning, docking with the disabled and enterprises and institutions, and coordinating the venue, "During that time, I often stayed up late and worked overtime, and many times I could only sleep for three or four hours." Even so, when she showed up at the event the next day, she still had a big smile. Because for her, this job is not only for her livelihood, but also for people with disabilities. ”
In Jiang Qihong's view, every video edited by Zhao Fangbin, if it is just a job, may be completed in a few hours or even less, but Zhao Fangbin strives for perfection and would rather spend two weeks or even longer. She said that every video is her work, and she hopes to provide some emotional value to others through her work, which can be resonance or motivation. ”
Zhao Fangbin gave a speech at the volunteer contest (photo provided by the interviewee)
Because, Zhao Fangbin has more disabled friends in his heart.
The annual Spring Festival is open, and for people with disabilities, the road home is full of challenges and hardships. Since 2022, the Qingdao Barrier-free Environment Promotion Association has continued to launch the "Spring Festival Assistance for People with Disabilities" public service project. Jiang Qihong sighed, "Since Zhao Fangbin joined, the strength of the entire public welfare team has become stronger. Since the launch of the event in early January this year, a total of more than 40 enterprises and institutions, railway and aviation departments, service volunteer teams, and social organizations helping the disabled in other provinces and cities have participated in the relay. ”
According to the data, at present, this public service has benefited more than 200 people with disabilities. Mr. Zhang, a visually impaired person who came to Qingdao to study massage massage, is one of the beneficiaries.
On January 28, Mr. Zhang took the G6956 train from Qingdao North to Jinan East, and Zhao Fangbin connected with the Qingdao Passenger Depot "I Am Your Eyes" high-speed rail service team for the blind, providing him with barrier-free entry and exit services and escort. Drink hot water in the waiting room, eat breakfast on the train, read Braille books, and be accompanied by volunteers...... This trip allowed Mr. Zhang to experience many "firsts in his life".
At 5 p.m. on February 1, the WeChat group of "Spring Festival Assistance for Disabled People" volunteer service sounded a text message prompt, and Zhao Fangbin, who was already in his hometown, released another piece of travel information for young people with disabilities: obstacle category, pick-up time, pick-up location, flight time, pick-up and drop-off volunteers, airport pick-up and drop-off person, and even volunteer details.
From the recipients to the volunteers, to every station and link along the way, behind the seemingly simple information, for Zhao Fangbin, who can't fully stretch out his fingers, every time he taps the mobile phone screen, it can be called high-intensity work.
According to the plan, as soon as the Spring Festival holiday is over, Zhao Fangbin will return to Qingdao and return to work. She bluntly said that in the days when she went home, while feeling the long-lost family affection, she had already begun to plan the "small goals" after the holiday, "A small wheelchair not only made me feel a different kind of warmth when I was running between Qingdao and Qianjiang, but also helped me continue to pursue bigger dreams." ”