'Heartless' woman turns out to be 'loving, devoted wife' when full story emerges
She was chastised and labelled “heartless” on social media after posting a video of herself dancing beside her bedridden husband.
But when the full story emerged, netizens in China soon realised that Ms Cui Fangli was actually a dedicated wife who has been caring for her husband 24/7 since he suffered a stroke in 2019.
According to the South China Morning Post, Ms Cui, 46, was lambasted online when she shared a video on social media of herself dancing happily beside her husband Fang Jianhui, who lost his ability to function after a stroke in 2019.
People said she was being “heartless”, and one user even asked if she was “trying to kill [Fang] by making him angry so you can find a new husband?”
Ms Cui said her daily routine includes helping Fang exercise to prevent muscle degeneration, feeding him with food paste through a catheter, and removing his mucus every two hours to keep his airways clear.
She said she dances as a way to ease pressure and stress.
"I'm a positive person. No matter how hard life is, I don't complain. I keep laughing," she said.
"I used to dance with villagers in the square, but after my husband fell ill, I cannot go anywhere, so I dance at home sometimes.
"I only meant to share our routine about fighting illness. It never occurred to me that it would trigger criticism. But, from another perspective, this has made me famous and there is nothing wrong with that.”
Fang spent two months in a vegetative state after he was admitted to hospital with a weak heartbeat, where doctors said he had a brain haemorrhage. Now he can communicate with only simple finger movements.
After the stroke, doctors said he would be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life, but Ms Cui refused to give up and insisted on looking after him "even if he would remain vegetative".
Many online users were touched by her love, courage and optimism.
"It is rare today for a wife to remain by her husband's side for three years after her husband was paralysed," one user wrote on Weibo.
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