Recently, Mr. Cai Lei, a patient with ALS, was interviewed by CCTV.
He said his condition had worsened and reached an advanced stage. His tongue and lower lip have begun to atrophy, and his daily activities have been greatly affected, such as having to be tied up with a rope and hung from a wall when taking a bath, because his muscles are weak and he cannot stand on his own. A neck brace has also been worn around the neck to protect the head and cervical spine.
Since he was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS) in 2019, Cai Lei's body has begun to decay day by day. Life has changed dramatically.
ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that causes gradual muscle atrophy and loss of function, which can eventually lead to paralysis of the whole body. Cai Lei's condition has progressed to severe atrophy of the tongue and lips, muscle weakness all over the body, and difficulty in movement and breathing, and has reached the end of the development of ALS.
Despite such challenges, Cai Lei did not give up. He firmly stated that if he was given another 10 years, he hoped to be able to "kill" ALS and find an effective treatment for all ALS patients.
In this race against time, Cai Lei has invested a lot of energy and resources. He has established the world's largest non-governmental ALS patient data research platform, and has initiated a number of public welfare activities, including live streaming and writing an autobiography, and used the proceeds for ALS research.
In addition, he also united more than 1,000 patients to donate brain tissue and spinal cord tissue for medical research, and built a scientific research sample bank of ALS remains and cerebrospinal cord tissue in China from 0 to 1.
Cai Lei's doctor, Fan Dongsheng, director of the Department of Neurology at the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University, expressed his admiration for a "disobedient" patient like him. Dr. Fan is well aware of the severity of ALS, the world's top five terminal diseases, which has caused more than 10 million deaths worldwide in the past 200 years, with a cure rate of 0, and most patients die within 2-5 years of diagnosis.
Despite this, Cai Lei still insisted on coming to the studio every day, investing more than one billion yuan in three years, failing more than 30 times, and still working with all his might, shooting the last bullet, hoping to make a breakthrough in the treatment of ALS before his death.
However, the breakthroughs in these professional fields are completely beyond the public's understanding. Many people don't fully understand all the choices he made.
Some people think that the reason why Cai Lei has not been cured is that he does not believe in traditional Chinese medicine. These people haven't read Cai Lei's book, and the answers in it are quite clear. It's not that he didn't believe it, but instead of healing him, he was deceived by millions.
There are also people who think that the money he invested has not been announced, and the public cannot see or touch it.
Some people also question that Cai Lei is a familial genetic disease. Because his father and grandfather had very short lives. thinks Cai Lei is very selfish, and he is still married. This is obviously a fraudulent marriage, and the children born may also have this disease-causing gene.
First of all, ALS has a tendency to occur more in recent years, which is related to genetics but not because of family inheritance, but because of the environment, personal living habits, and food nutrition.
And Cai Lei's father and grandfather did not die of ALS. They only lived for a shorter period of time and died because of other diseases. There is no evidence that they run in families.
The biggest doubt is that Cai Lei developed ALS for himself. Indeed, without empathy, there is no way to empathize with others. Cai Lei has indeed changed the direction of his life because of his own experience. But who doesn't have that in their life?
We will understand life better because of what happens to those around us, and we will also gain new wisdom because of what we encounter. It was because he experienced the life disaster brought about by ALS that Cai Lei chose to fight to the end without hesitation.
It's a natural process, not a beak-left point.
Cai Lei's story is not only the struggle of a ALS patient, but also a story about the tenacity and courage of human beings in the face of adversity. His efforts and perseverance have not only brought new hope to the research and treatment of ALS, but also inspired countless people not to give up and move forward bravely in the face of difficulties.
Because, as the spiritual idol of this era, Cai Lei deserves it.