news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

the unfortunate news still came.

late at night on september 25, red star news learned from his relatives and friends that on september 24, 2024, due to ineffective rescue for his illness, 34-year-old hubei yichang youth zou chengjun finally left this world.

one year ago, in the early morning of july 24, 2023, zou chengjun, who was riding an electric bike home due to severe pancreatitis and moyamoya disease, fell in a tunnel in the urban area of ​​yichang, with a bleeding head and "disappeared". subsequently, a love relay - "find the young man with a bleeding head" swept the entire network and attracted the whole country (>>red star news previously reported）。

in order to help zou chengjun get treatment, netizens donated 570,000 yuan in a few days. until a month ago, when zou chengjun was hospitalized again, many netizens still donated money.

in an interview with red star news before his death, zou chengjun said that he had never expected that someone would search the entire city for him late that night, from 1am to 3am; he said that he wanted to remember every person who donated to him...

▲zou chengjun

searching for "the man with the bloody head"

at 1:43 am on july 24, 2023, in yunji tunnel, yichang city, hubei province, 33-year-old zou chengjun was riding an electric bike back to his rental house when he suddenly fell to the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds on his brow, chin, and knees. after seeing someone fall, passers-by called the police and found that zou chengjun was gone, leaving only a white electric bike and a pool of blood.

during this time, a delivery man passed by and called the police, then returned to the scene to ask the traffic police where the person who fell had gone.

a taxi driver and a female passenger in the car found someone lying on the ground when they were passing through a tunnel. worried about his safety, the taxi sped back after exiting the tunnel and found a "bloody" person walking towards the tunnel exit. the taxi driver and the female passenger "called zou chengjun into the car" and wanted to take him to the hospital, but zou refused.

after exiting the tunnel, zou chengjun got out of the car. after the two left, they discussed in the car about giving zou chengjun money to see a doctor, and then they went back, but zou chengjun was gone.

after returning to his rental house alone, zou chengjun lay on the bed, blood all over his body. because of the diabetes caused by pancreatic necrosis, he was unable to stop the bleeding from the wound. it was not until 3 a.m. that day that traffic policeman zhang xing found him and sent him to the hospital overnight.

▲the scene at the time of the incident, courtesy of yichang traffic police

since then, the young man's fate has taken a turn for the better. after local media reported zou chengjun's story, the yichang government and people have stepped forward to lend a helping hand.

in october 2023, zou chengjun's experience fermented on social media. in just a few days, strangers donated more than 570,000 yuan. thousands of netizens spontaneously formed a group chat to care about his treatment.

in addition to monetary donations, some people also donated goods. seeing that zou chengjun's rental house had no electrical appliances, some people sent him a rice cooker, an electric fan, as well as food and clothes.

when they heard that he was going to beijing for treatment, some netizens offered to visit him and take care of him. a female netizen was worried that he was unfamiliar with the place, so she took a day off to accompany his mother and even prepaid the room fee for ten days.

a local policeman in yichang learned that he was going to beijing and was worried that he would be cold, so he spent more than 1,000 yuan to buy him a down jacket. a netizen from ningxia sent winter clothes to his whole family.

▲zou chengjun showed the clothes donated by netizens to the red star news reporter before his death

he once took the initiative to stop donations, "i want to remember every person who donated"

zou chengjun's hometown is deep in the mountains of zigui county, more than 100 kilometers away from yichang. after graduating from college in 2012, zou chengjun went to jiangsu to work. in 2016, he returned to his hometown to do home appliance sales and installation business. in 2019, his business failed and his parents fell ill. with more than 100,000 foreign debts, zou chengjun went to yichang to work.

in july 2022, zou chengjun, who worked in yichang, was diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis and was rescued in the icu for 8 days. the doctor told him that he would need to rest for at least a year. zou chengjun only stayed at home for half a year and went to yichang to find a new job before the spring festival.

in march 2023, zou chengjun fell down at work due to dizziness. he thought it was pancreatitis that caused unstable blood sugar, so he borrowed 4,000 yuan to go to the hospital for examination. the results showed that he also suffered from moyamoya disease, just like his father. the doctor told him that the probability of getting this disease is about 3 in 100,000.

in the days that followed, with a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan, including 300 yuan in rent, zou chengjun kept his monthly expenses within 1,500 yuan. he imagined all the possible consequences for himself and wanted to "leave more money for his parents before leaving, even if it's just to pay off the debt."

this is also the reason why zou chengjun did not seek medical treatment after falling in the tunnel in the early morning of july 24, 2023.

in a douyin video posted on october 27, 2023, zou chengjun took a screenshot of an alipay balance page, showing an amount of more than 578,000 yuan. this was a spontaneous donation made by netizens within a few days after they learned of his situation. at the time, he was hospitalized in yichang central people's hospital. "the cost of the operation is enough. i really feel guilty, and everyone should not donate any more money." in the video, he repeated, "it's really enough, the doctor said more than 300,000 is enough." "i'm very satisfied if you can come and ask."

on october 28, zou chengjun posted another video, announcing that the donation channel was closed. however, on october 29, donors found new channels: someone topped up his phone bill, and someone transferred money to his social security card. he posted another video to remind everyone not to donate anymore.

"from the moment i fell until now, everything that happened was passive. i never thought about making my story public or seeking help." after closing the donation channel, he refused to accept the subsequent money, "wechat returned more than 200,000 yuan."

some netizens kept reminding him that his family still owed money and that he needed money for rehabilitation. he replied: the money for the surgery is enough. i was already very touched.

most of the donations from netizens are in the tens or hundreds of yuan, with the most being 500 yuan or 1,000 yuan, and very few large amounts. zou chengjun said he has a detailed account of every penny of all the donations. "i am just an ordinary person, and my luck is given by everyone. i want to remember every person who donated."

▲after learning of zou chengjun's death, netizens left messages to mourn

the last video before his death: even if there is only a little hope, i still want to try

the last video zou chengjun released before his death was on august 19. he had just undergone a rescue.

in the video, in response to netizens' doubts that he was "making money", zou chengjun once again reviewed the experience of his illness and seeking medical treatment. he talked about his parents' illnesses and his own experience of being hospitalized for more than 20 times. he was obviously weak and choked up.

in the video, zou chengjun explained why he reopened the donation channel this year. "previous donations from netizens were used for medical treatment and debt repayment, and they have been used up." he said that he "did not want to cause trouble to everyone", "but even if there is only a little hope, i still want to try." "no matter how difficult the process is."

among the more than 2,000 messages, almost all of them were donation records posted by netizens, encouraging zou chengjun to actively seek treatment. a full-time mother posted her own donation record of 1,000 yuan in a message on august 19, and left a message saying: i transferred 1,000 yuan last month. i didn't work because i was taking care of my two children. if i have more money, i will help you again.

many netizens supported zou chengjun to reopen the donation channel. one netizen left a message saying that he wanted to do his part at the beginning, but zou chengjun closed the donation channel. "so i have been waiting in the group to do my part next time. now i can finally donate. come on, xiao zou (zou chengjun)!!! i pray for you every day, and hope everything goes well and you can be discharged from the hospital soon."

"thank you for being with me from last year until now." at the end of the video, zou chengjun said, trying hard to hold back his tears.

▲zou chengjun’s last video before his death, still remembering to thank netizens

after receiving public attention, zou chengjun began to interact with netizens who cared about him through his video account on july 29, 2023. in more than a year, during the intervals between treatments, zou chengjun published more than 40 videos in total. most of the videos were him "informing" netizens who cared about him about his treatment.

before the spring festival in 2024, zou chengjun invited everyone to visit his hometown zigui in a video, saying that he would ask his family to buy a pig and prepare a pig-killing banquet for netizens who cared about him; in may 2024, after his condition stabilized, zou chengjun began to tidy up his yard, and he rarely smiled in the video; in june 2024, zou chengjun began to try to sell agricultural and sideline products from his hometown through the video platform. in the video, he specifically emphasized that everyone should buy according to their needs, and not buy more because he was sick and wanted to help him.

a girl who has been following zou chengjun told red star news that after learning of his death, she called his family to express her condolences. "my mother kept crying and gave my father funeral gifts, but he refused to accept them. they are just like little zou (zou chengjun), always afraid to trouble everyone."

zou chengjun is the only son in his family. his father is 56 years old and his mother is two years younger than him. after her husband and son fell ill, she started cleaning the hospital in the town, earning 2,500 yuan a month.

at noon on december 19, 2023, at the zou family's dinner table, facing red star news, zou's mother said very little. she just repeated in a low voice: "i am really moved this time. thank you so many kind people."

friends and relatives: he is unfortunate, but also lucky.

after zou chengjun passed away, one of his relatives announced the news of his passing on september 25.

▲news released by relatives and friends about zou chengjun's death

friends and relatives revealed that zou chengjun's condition became increasingly serious after he was hospitalized in june due to complications of severe pancreatitis. he often fainted due to exhaustion. in september, zou chengjun's family was still trying to find a hospital that could perform organ transplants, and planned to take him to undergo a pancreas transplant after contacting a donor.

relatives and friends said that after his condition worsened, zou chengjun "burst into tears" during many phone calls and exchanges, saying that he was afraid he might not make it, but he did not want to go on, did not want to leave this beautiful world. there were so many people who helped him, but he did not know their names. he had not yet thanked them in person, and had not yet begun to give back to society.

"xiao zou (zou chengjun) had an extremely unfortunate short life. when he was thirty, both his father and himself were diagnosed with rare diseases. other diseases and complications tortured him beyond recognition. his father has been bedridden for a long time and is barely making it through the day. although he is strong enough to face the situation, he is powerless to save the situation. at the same time, he is also lucky. because of an accident, his deeds became widely known and he received selfless help from so many kind-hearted people, which gave him hope for life."

three months ago, in a video posted on june 24, 2024, zou chengjun showed netizens the results of the renovation of his courtyard, which was covered with lawn and planted with pomegranates, maples and camellia. he said that the camellia should bloom in the second half of the year.

this young man who never gave in to life and fate did not live to see the day when the camellia flowers bloomed. but the soon-to-bloom camellia flowers will tell the world that he had been here and had been warmed and treated kindly by the world.

red star news reporter wang zhenhua