At 79 years old, Luo should be putting her feet up and leading a quiet life after her retirement, instead she spends her days trying to make ends meet.
The devoted mother has been roaming the streets of downtown Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province, for the last 20 years selling newspapers and weathering windy and rainy days, in order to pay the medical fees of her sons –both suffering from mental disorders.
“Every morning around six, we see her selling newspapers near the Dongtang flyover (in Yuhua District of the city),” an unnamed traffic police told the Hunan-based Xiaoxiang Morning Post on Friday.
“Both of my sons have mental illnesses. I need to work to pay their medical bills,” Luo said in an interview with the newspaper.
What condition the two men have, however, is unclear.
Many had advised Luo to send her boys to a psychiatric facility, but the wizened lady categorically refused, saying that their condition is not serious and she can tend to them by herself.
“They are all that I have,” Luo admitted in the interview.
She said that, on a good day, she can sell 140 newspapers keeping the family of three afloat. But given that an average newspaper sells for less than one yuan (15 cents), Luo’s earnings are meager.
Furthermore, old age is now pushing her to ponder other options.
“If I’m not able to sell newspapers any more, I hope I could be received in a nursing home along with my sons. We will be taken care of,” the elderly said.
As she nears the age of 80, looking after her sons at any cost remains a priority for Luo.
The local community where she lives has been checking with local nursing homes to get a much-needed help for her.
After the article about Luo’s situation surfaced on Chinese social media on Saturday, the frail but strong-willed woman, her unconditional love to her sons and tolerance to the impoverished life, melted thousands of hearts.
“There are so many vulnerable people in China who need help from the public. They are so helpless…” posted a user named @Y-JIALING on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform.
“I tried but failed to find her this morning in Dongtang. But I met three good Samaritans and we went to her home together…Her sons seem to be in a stable condition… I hope they will be given entry to nursing homes very soon,” wrote @Maluyelang.
According to Xiaoxiang Morning Post, good Samaritans have been giving donations to Luo since last year, as her struggle is known by many.
China offers subsistence allowances to the mentally ill with the amount differing according to regions. In Beijing, for example, guardians (usually family members) of people suffering serious mental disorders are eligible for a 2,400 yuan (360 US dollars) annual subsidy from the municipal government.
Official data show China had 4.3 million severely mentally ill patients in 2014. More than 55 percent of them live in poverty. According to goals set in the latest five-year plan for mental health work ending, more than 80 percent of severe mental illness cases should be "managed" by 2020, with at least 80 percent of schizophrenia patients to receive treatment.
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