China husband says ‘I love you’ after wife wakes him from vegetative state by biting his toes
A Chinese woman helped her husband recover from a years-long vegetative state by using nerve stimulation techniques, including biting his toes. The story has gained significant attention for the couple's resilience and the husband's miraculous progress.
Why it matters
This human-interest story highlights the extreme lengths families go to for medical recovery and the power of unconventional caregiving.
BEIJING: A woman in central China has captured the hearts of many online after helping her husband emerge from a years-long vegetative state by biting his toes to stimulate his nerves.
Song Mei, 45, a former kindergarten art teacher from Henan province, and her husband Zhao Jinqian, a waterproofing worker, had lived modestly with their two children before tragedy upended their lives.
Local reports described the couple as generous even when it exceeded their means. Song gave free painting lessons at home to children from poor families, while Zhao, after years of gruelling work on construction sites, sponsored a student from a remote mountain area.
In October 2019, Zhao climbed onto a warehouse roof to rescue a trapped three-year-old child. He fell from a height of about six metres while holding the youngster in his arms, using his body to shield the child as they plunged to the ground.
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