Du Yuanfa and Zhou Yu’ai were married for just five months when Zhou contracted a mysterious illness that caused her to be completely paralyzed,” Independent reports. She was just 20 years old — he was 26, and was working as a coal miner in a nearby city in Tai’an when he received the letter that informed him of her illness.
He returned to their simple home to find his wife completely stiff, unable to even hold objects in her hands. She had to be spoon-fed.
‘Don’t worry, I will care for you forever’
Photo: CCTV/Facebook
After taking her to several doctors in search for a cure, Du was told that his wife was infertile, and would be bed-bound for the rest of her life. Friends told Du to annul the marriage — after all, they hadn’t been married that long anyway. But instead of leaving her, Du stayed by his wife’s side. “Don’t worry,” he told her. “I will care for you forever.”
He quit his job at the coal mine so he could look after her full-time.
Photo: CCTV/Facebook
They have now been married for almost six decades. Du does everything at home, from feeding his wife to changing her bedpan to preparing her traditional Chinese medicine.
According to The Daily Mail, Du continues to look for cures for his wife. Whenever he hears about an herbal medicine, he goes to the mountains in search for ingredients, and tastes the medicine first before giving it to his wife to check if it’s poisonous.
Photo: CCTV/Facebook
His love and dedication towards his wife has inspired so many; his neighbors regularly pitch in to give groceries and medicines for Zhou. Local officials have listed the couple as beneficiaries of charity. And since their story went viral, they have touched the lives of people around the world as well:
It’s easy to get jaded nowadays, when love never seems to last and marriage vows don’t seem to carry as much weight as they used to. But every now and then, we hear stories about extraordinary love reignite our hope.
When couples get married, they promise to stay together in good times and bad, in sickness and health. However, when reality hits, it becomes harder and harder to stick to our word. Du Yuanfa and Zhou Yu’ai’s story has shown us what real love and commitment looks like, teaching us about the real meaning of marriage.
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