An Heir and A Spare

For the abridged version, click on the title above. For the lengthier version with more details that are worth the few minutes it takes to read, continue on below. Warning, this is long but worthy. Keep Kleenex handy. Use your shirtsleeve or the hem of your cubicle mate's skirt if you need to. Don't proceed unless you're wearing waterproof mascara.

Translated and passed on by one of my grad school alums:
On Feb 24 at 9:47am, an old man placed a little girl under the wheels of a moving train at a train station in Chongqing, China. The girl's legs were crushed.The old man was arrested with the assistance of a peasant worker on the site. According to some witnesses, the old man was with an old woman. Somehow, the old woman escaped.

The old man placed the little girl, who was inside a bamboo basket, under the wheels twice. For the first time, he failed. For the second time, the girl's legs were crushed immediately. The girl cried and struggled and managed to crawl out of the basket. When the police came to her, she had lost her two legs and was lying in blood, but her big eyes were still very beautiful and clear.

After simple handling to stop bleeding, the little girl was taken to the emergency room, together with the crushed basket and two cut legs. When she arrived in the hospital, she had already lost too much blood. However, there were not much crying. She simply repeated and repeated: "Mama. Mama, Hug…. Hug."

At around 11:00am, the girl was pushed into the operation room. After anesthesia, she gradually fell asleep. After more than three hours, the girl was pushed out after an operation and 400ml of blood input. She lost her legs forever.

The reporter went to find the girl at 9pm. The child was lying in bed, no crying, no struggling, while the doctors and nurses changed her medications and did other things on her. Till that time, nobody knew her name. The old man said he was the girl's paternal grandfather and the girl's name was Fei Fei Wang, but nobody could believe his words because nobody could believe a grandfather would never do such a thing. So, she was registered as 'nameless' in the hospital and because of her loveliness, everybody called her "well-behaved".

The old man had an ID card with him, which showed his name and residence address. After further investigation, the girl's parents were contacted and it was confirmed that the old man, Dao Jin Wang, was the girl's paternal grandfather.

According to the news, Fei Fei is the elder child of the couple and is now 1 year and 8 months old. Her younger sister is 6 months old. Fei Fei and her sister were taken care of by their maternal grandparents. Recently, Fei Fei's paternal grandfather Dao Jin Wang indicated he wanted to take Fei Fei to his home in Guizhou Province, China. The parents agreed and had the paternal grandfather live with them in Fei Fei's maternal grandparents' house in Sichuan province for around half a month before they bade farewell to Fei Fei and her paternal grandfather on Feb 23 at a local train station. Nobody expected that Dao Jin Wang would commit such a crime to poor yet very strong and lovely Fei Fei on the way to Guizhou. The crime happened after they traveled for some distance and they got off the train before they arrived in Guizhou. The police indicated that the old man might have some mental disorder but no person believes that. According to the train schedule, the train which Fei Fei took arrived in Chongqing at around 5am and the crime happened at around 10am. When he put the poor girl under the wheels he did it so fast that nobody had time to respond and he tried to run away after that. It is obvious he did it purposely and he was conscious that he could be arrested for the crime. He also indicated to the police that he would die at most for putting the girl under the wheels. How can such a man have mental disorder!

The girl's parents and her maternal grandfather arrived at the police station at around 7:00am on Feb 25. After the police handed the newspaper with 'well-behaved' s story, the mother slowly glided from the couch to the floor. Her father stood aside, being unable to utter a single word. The maternal grandfather could not believe that the paternal grandfather really did this. The mother said: "The two children I bore are both girls. They might not like that."

Upon arrival at Fei Fei's Ward, the mother cried: "Fei Fei, Mama is coming to hug you!" The parents fell on their knees beside Fei Fei's sick bed: "We're sorry. We're sorry". Perhaps awaken by her mother's voice, Fei Fei opened her eyes from her sleep. Her hands,which was tied to the bedframe, swayed and swayed.

"Mama, hug! hug!" Fei Fei again uttered the sentence she repeated hundreds of times. Looking at her daughter, who was still provided with oxygen and IV, the mother put her face together with Fei Fei's little face and cried again. "Mama, hungry." This is her second sentence. The mother could only use a cotton swab to provide Fei Fei with some water. At the time, Fei Fei seemed to have forgotten her pains and smiled.

On Feb 26, the nurse unwrapped Fei Fei's bandage to apply new medication for her and the mother saw her daughter's broken legs for the first time. Holding Fei Fei, the mother wept bitterly. Though no voice, her tears, as big as peas, wettened the collar.

At 3:00pm on Feb 26, the nurse informed Fei Fei's mother that she needed to sign a cremation agreement so that Fei Fei's two cut off legs could be sent to the funeral home to be incinerated. At 3:30pm, the nurse took Fei Fei's mother to see the cut off legs. After 10 minutes, the nurse accompanied the mother, who almost fainted, out. After arrival at the office, the mother burst into tears: "The shoes were bought by me just before the Chinese New Year. I myself put them on for her. Daughter, how many times did I kiss your little feet!" After the mother calmed down a little, the nurse took out the cremation agreement and asked her to sign it. Suddenly, the mother became out of control: "She walked on the floor just days ago!" After another 20 minutes' crying, she said: "I want to bury. I don't want to incinerate." She begged the officers: " can I taken them back home and bury them" She was told:" No. The hospital can only keep them for 7 days and you cannot take limbs on a vehicle.' The mother still did not sign the agreement. She asked for several more days to think about it.

According to some specialist, Fei Fei would need an operation to shorten her growing leg bones each year until she reaches 18 because the skin covering the injured ends will not grow with the bones. She will also need a new pair of artificial legs to match her natural legs till she reaches 18. Fei Fei suffered too much already yet she will still suffer too much in her whole life. Her life was saved. However, how will she cope with this tragic accident and live through the rest of her life remains a big question.

Her parents are young and poor rural Chinese residents, they have no saving, no medical insurance, no social support system for such a sudden tragic. They themselves had to travel thousands of miles away from home to make barely $100 per month. It's almost impossible for them to financially support this girl's immediate and future medical needs.

My $0.02

She had me at "Mama, Hug! Hug!"

I can't begin to understand the deep seated goings on in this man's mind. Not one iota of these actions makes sense to me in any way. I have read about such horror, most recently in the book "Sun Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See. That story took place in remote 19th century China. I am a girl. A girl born in India to parents and extended family who loved me simply because I was a part of them. My children's grandparents sneer and snuff when I so much as tell Bird and Deal to stop flicking paint at each other in our newly renovated house. They are overprotective and doting to the Nth degree.

Granted, I have two boys. The only two to carry on the paternal family name. The only two to carry on my immigrant family's name too (hint, hint, Big Brother who is having more fun living the high life than settling down to diapers and Legos underfoot).

I am going to adopt this little girl. I mean it. I have already inquired about what I can do to help. I will post what I find out as soon as I get some answers. Did you catch that, Mac Daddy? We are going to bring this little tyke into our home and let her experience unconditional love and glee in that spare pink bedroom sitting unused down the hall. I am going to eat her up and plant wet kisses all over her winsome little face. Bird and Deal have been asking for a little sister lately, so I take this as a sign.