Epic Road Trip: 'Die on The Road, Not in Hospital’
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- 2 min read
A Chinese couple has spent a decade travelling together. The husband of a partially paralysed wife says that life on the road has made her “100 times” more spirited.
They got married shortly after leaving school and enjoyed a relatively normal life. Mr. Liu enrolled into a long career in the military, and his wife raised children at home. All the while, they dreamed that one day they would embark on an epic road trip around China.
But as retirement came into sight and the chance for their dream adventure was in touching distance, complications with diabetes left Mrs Liu partially paralyzed, and the prospect of a road trip around one of the world’s largest countries would have stopped most people in their tracks. But not these two.
After agreeing they “would rather die on the road than in a hospital bed,” the couple set out in their car in 2014. Their daughter initially objected due to the medical needs of her mother, but the time away from hospital gradually rejuvenated Mrs Liu. Now years later, and having upgraded from car to camper van, her husband says that their time continuously exploring the Middle Kingdom has made his wife “100 times” more spirited.
Today, probably thanks to their adventures, she has succeeded in avoiding muscle and joint atrophy despite being wheelchair bound from paralysis on her left side. Indeed, she says that
he is “the driver, cook, doctor, nurse, and carer, all in one” and, thankfully, she has maintained good coordination, and can communicate largely as before.
According to the South China Morning Post, the couple have now visited 31 out of 33 Chinese provinces. To put that into perspective, China is about 24 percent larger than Australia by total land area and roughly the same size as the USA. So, hats off to the intrepid couple and may their adventures keep them out of hospital. After all, as someone once said: "Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting 'holy shit, what a ride!'"
