Birth, old age, sickness and death are unavoidable fates for everyone. For the vast majority of people, when the time of death comes, they long to be able to receive the blessings and companionship of their loved ones, so that they will not just leave silently. But sometimes, the reality is far more brutal than imagined. An elderly man with cancer, in the last days of his life, not only did not get the company of his family, but suffered torture and blows again and again during the journey, and finally passed away in wandering and helplessness.
Dusty past
Eighty-year-old Li, a former worker at a machinery factory in Xinjiang, has worked hard to run his small family for a few years after his retirement. My wife has been suffering from diabetes for many years and cannot move around, so she can only recuperate at home. His son, Huang Xiaoming, suffers from a congenital disability and is unable to move his hands and feet. Over the years, Mr. Li has taken the initiative to take on the burden of the family, cooking and cleaning for his wife and son every day, and keeping it in order.
In 2020, Mr. Li was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and gallbladder cancer one after another. In order to ease the burden on his family, he received initial treatment from the hospital while continuing to work, selling small stalls for his own treatment. The following year, the cancer continued to worsen, and as I got older, my health deteriorated day by day. His son Huang Xiaoming had undergone surgery at this time, and the well-off family no longer existed, and the family of three lived on the meager retirement salary of the old man Li.
In order to give his father the best hospice care, Huang Xiaoming quit his job and took care of his parents at home every day, despite his physical defects. At the end of 2022, Huang Xiaoming had to sell the only property in his family and raise nearly 200,000 yuan for his father's surgery. "It's too late, my dad can't undergo any surgery now, and he can only rely on radiotherapy to keep him alive." Huang Xiaoming said sadly.
Radiotherapy treatment requires long-term treatment in Shanghai. In March, the old man Li went to Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital for treatment, but the doctor told him that his condition was more serious and could only be temporarily relieved, so he should not be too optimistic. Old Man Li shook his head weakly: "I already know everything about my condition, I just want to survive for a few more days."
The twists and turns of the road to medical treatment
After returning to Xinjiang, according to the doctor's instructions, Mr. Li chose a tertiary hospital in Urumqi for radiotherapy treatment. Over the past few months, Mr. Li's condition has improved slightly, but at the same time, he has spent almost all of his family's savings. Huang Xiaoming advised his father to go directly to Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai, where the equipment is advanced and the quality of treatment is better. Mr. Li agreed to his son's suggestion and booked a flight from Urumqi to Shanghai on May 6.
But who would have thought that this originally ordinary flight would become the last watershed in the lives of the two fathers and sons. At noon on May 6, after nearly 3 hours at the airport, Mr. Li was finally denied boarding by Juneyao Airlines on the grounds of "lack of escorts" and "failure to provide proof of suitability to board".
Huang Xiaoming recalled that he had made all preparations in advance: including ordering wheelchair services online, and informing the airline in advance of his father's illness that he needed special care. He also specially found someone at the airport to give his father a hand, go through the formalities, and assist in boarding. "It could be that there was something wrong with the communication, and both I and the airline thought they were aware of everything."
The airline explained that when boarding the plane that day, it was found that the old man Li was very weak, had difficulty speaking, and was not accompanied by his family. After contacting the family, the company asked Huang Xiaoming to provide additional proof of suitability to fly. However, due to various reasons, this certificate could not be delivered before the flight took off, and the old man Li had no choice but to give up the trip to Shanghai.
Between life and death
After being denied boarding at the airport, Mr. Li was very frustrated. "He almost cried because it was our last chance to come to Shanghai for medical treatment." Huang Xiaoming recalled, "I can only try to comfort him, let him save his strength, and take the train tomorrow." "
In order to make an emergency, Huang Xiaoming temporarily booked a train ticket from Urumqi to Shanghai at 4 a.m. the next day. Old Man Li hadn't closed his eyes all day, he really wanted to live too much, and he had too many regrets. At 11 o'clock in the evening, his son sent him to the station, arranged a series of services such as crutches, wheelchairs, and luggage check-in for him, and told his relatives and friends to pay special attention to the elderly.
As everyone knows, fate is often so tricky of people. At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, when the old man Li had just gotten off the train at Shanghai South Railway Station and was about to transfer to a wheelchair at the elevator door, he unfortunately slipped and fell, and his relatives and friends hurriedly dialed the 120 emergency number. Unfortunately, the old man's injuries were too serious, and by the time 120 arrived, he had no vital signs and died.
The regret of the family's loss
Regarding the death of his father, Huang Xiaoming not only grieved, but also had infinite self-blame and regret. "If my father had boarded the plane that day and would have been able to receive treatment soon, none of this would have happened." Huang Xiaoming said sadly.
At the same time, he is also angry about the airlines' approach. He believes that it is irresponsible for the company to judge that the old man is not able to take the flight without conducting any medical examination and assessment of his father at that time. "I am willing to provide all the proof that he is fully medically fit to fly, as long as he is accompanied. The reason why the company refused to board was entirely because we had a communication misunderstanding with the staff. "
However, Huang Xiaoming also admitted that as the only child, he did not personally accompany his father to seek medical treatment. He suffers from a congenital physical disability and has not left Urumqi for more than ten years, let alone traveled thousands of miles to Shanghai. "My body really can't do it, otherwise how could I let my father run around like this? But I have done my best, including selling the house to treat him and arranging for him to seek medical treatment.