A Heartfelt Real-life Love Story: Waiting Four Years for a Hug
When the man was 47, he was in a car accident. His skull was shattered, and he remained in a coma. Despite undergoing several surgeries, his condition did not improve. He had no memory, no cognitive ability, couldn’t recognize his family, couldn’t speak, needed to be fed, and wore diapers for his bodily functions. Medically, this was called a “chronic vegetative state.” The man had an elderly mother in her 80s and two sisters, but his mother was too frail to help, and his sisters had their own lives. As a result, he lay alone in the hospital, without anyone to care for him.
Before the accident, the man was addicted to gambling and cards. He paid no attention to his family, and even after being married for over two decades, they had no savings. At first, the woman argued with him, but when he showed no signs of changing, she divorced him. He was 43 then. To spare their child’s feelings, they kept the divorce a secret, and even after the separation, the ex-wife continued to live with him.
When the woman heard about the accident, she rushed to the hospital to visit him. The hospital had already issued a critical condition notice, and when she saw it, she broke down in tears. The man was still alive, which meant their son still had a father. After all the years of marriage, she couldn’t bear to see the once lively man reduced to a lifeless shell on the hospital bed, without thought or awareness. She made the decision to care for him herself.
And so she did—for over three years. The man was 1.75 meters tall and weighed 80 kilograms, while she was 1.6 meters and weighed 50 kilograms. Every day, she cooked for him, fed him, turned him over in bed, bathed him, pushed him in a wheelchair outside to get some sun, and talked to him—despite never receiving a response.
Incredibly, the woman found herself falling back in love with the man. In the past, he was hardly ever home, and when he was, they would argue. He never cared about their own affairs but was always eager to get involved in other people’s business. Now, he was with her every day, his eyes open, listening to her without ever talking back or arguing. He was obedient like a child, and his life now depended entirely on her care. She continued every day to exercise his body, feed him medicine, provide therapy, and talk to him. The woman thought, “Even if the whole world forgets him, at least I will still be here for him. We can rely on each other.”
Then, one day, the man suddenly woke up. He could say simple words and count from 1 to 10. Gradually, he even regained the ability to feed himself. His intelligence was akin to that of a preschooler, and many of his memories were still blank, but he only listened to the woman. He smiled whenever he saw her. When someone jokingly said to him, “Your wife has left you, she doesn’t want you anymore,” he would angrily reply, “She’s not leaving!”
Television reporters came to film their story. The woman dressed the man and helped him stand against the wall (this was part of their daily training routine). The man couldn’t stand on his own, so she leaned on him, providing support. But when he saw the camera pointing at them, the man suddenly hugged her tightly, with all his strength, fiercely clinging to her.
The woman burst into tears. The instinct of every man is to protect his woman, and she had spent four years bringing this instinct back in him. Even if it was just one hug, it was enough for the woman to cherish for a lifetime.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
