92-year-old man wants to hold wife’s hand one final time before dying – what happens next will bring you to tears
A heartrending photograph of an elderly Chinese couple, who had been married for nearly seven decades, holding hands while both in the intensive care unit has captured the hearts of millions worldwide.
According to New China, the poignant image was taken and shared by Wang Yanfang, the head nurse at Yinzhou hospital’s intensive care unit in Zhejiang Province, eastern China.
The 92-year-old husband, Feng Ming, was initially admitted to intensive care following a heart failure.
Unfortunately, his condition worsened as more of his organs began to fail, ultimately leading to a lung infection.
Feng found himself unable to speak, relying on a life support machine to sustain him.
Realizing that his time was drawing near, his family made the difficult decision to discontinue therapy and bring him home. However, before leaving the hospital, Feng expressed one final wish – to see his wife, with whom he had shared 66 years of marriage.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ping, Feng’s 95-year-old wife, was also hospitalized in the same facility, receiving treatment for a fractured femur on a different floor.
Wang, the head nurse, recounted to New China: “The visiting hours for the ICU are from 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm, but Feng’s condition is too critical to wait until then.” Consequently, Wang arranged a special meeting so the elderly couple could reunite, potentially for the last time.
Upon Wang’s request, Zhang Ping was transported on a stretcher from the 14th floor to the ICU on the third floor, where Feng awaited. It was a poignant moment as the couple, separated by illness and medical wards, were reunited.
Wang shared the touching scene, recalling how Zhang Ping clasped her husband’s hand and spoke to him in their local dialect: “Don’t worry about me. Rest assured that I can take good care of myself.”
Till death do us part: Nonagenarian Chinese couple hand in hand just hours before husband dies in ICU https://t.co/MpdhHUn4OO pic.twitter.com/V8z2Abp4q2
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) January 5, 2017
Feng was moved to tears upon hearing his wife’s reassuring words, and he peacefully passed away in the comfort of his own home several hours later. “We made an exception for the elderly couple to meet so that the touching moment can happen and be preserved. I am grateful that we made a right choice,” Wang said.
This story is simultaneously devastating and heartwarming. However, it is comforting to know that Feng and Zhang had been each other’s rock through all life’s challenges, remaining deeply in love until the very end. That, indeed, is true love.
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