He took his 76-year-old cancer-stricken wife on a RV trip: knowing each other for 49 years, this is the best form of love

It is probably the dream of many people to travel around the world with their wife after retirement. But the thought of setting out is fleeting, but there are thousands of reasons and concerns for not setting out.

In Shenyang, Liaoning, a couple over 70 years old realized this "dream."

They have been in love for 49 years. After his wife unfortunately got cancer, they retired early and started traveling together;

In 21 years, they traveled all over the motherland, covering 250,000 kilometers, and they checked in too close 1,100 scenic spots; Nowadays, people in their seventies still travel in RVs and live every day of the rest of their lives as poetry and distant places.

They tell us with their actions:

Never set limits on your life. There is never an age how you should live, only how you want to live your life. As we age, it’s great to take care of ourselves and enjoy family life, but it’s also cool to travel around the world in an RV.

If you want to see the world, it’s never too late. Don’t let your life leave regrets.

1

It’s never too late to start life

A couple in their seventies traveled all over the country in the past 21 years

This couple is The hero of Shenyang and the old man with white beard.

At an age when the world thinks they should be resting, they choose to travel around the world in an RV, living a chic and romantic life.

From the beginning of participating in tour groups, to organizing sleeper car tours, traveling with more than 30 elderly people, to later self-driving tours, and then to traveling in modified RVs... In the past 21 years, they have been On the road.

While the scope of activities of their peers was limited to home and nearby areas, the old couple had traveled all over the country.

They traveled as far as Sanya in the south, Arctic Village in the north, and Horgos in the west;

They have been to Xinjiang, walked along the Sichuan-Tibet Line, climbed Mount Huangshan and Lushan Mountain, and seen Jiuzhaigou Valley The water also crossed the desert of Inner Mongolia, spent the winter in Xishuangbanna... and also visited Thailand and Laos.

They also wrote a book about their experiences along the way, appeared on CCTV... and did things that many people want to do but dare not do.

In this regard, some people said they were too cool and chic, some said they were too envious of their love that lasted until old age; some said they were wasting their time, and some dissed the old man: He is not rich yet. , and there is no need to bring grandchildren...

But in fact, Shenyang Daxia and Old Man Baihu are not rich people, they are just two ordinary retired old people.

They decided to travel because 25 years ago, the god of death passed by their door, reminding them:

Life is only a few decades, so you must cherish it. Each other, cherish the few days left, see the world you haven't seen yet, and don't let your life leave regrets.

2

We have known each other for 49 years.

It started with love at first sight and lasted half a life holding hands

A hero from Shenyang named Gao Zhi Xia;

Born in Shenyang in 1945; before retirement, he was a teacher at Liaoning Press and Publishing School.

The old man with a white beard is called Gu Xiangdong (Lao Gu);

He was also born in 1945; he also worked at the Press and Publication School before retiring.

They met on a rainy day in July 49 years ago. They had a great conversation while hiding from the rain, and they got married after only half a year of dating. After the marriage, they had a son and a daughter.

Like many lovers in that era, their love did not include any thunderous oaths of alliance, but only an ordinary life and mutual companionship day after day.

In their marriage of daily necessities, they had their share of quarrels, but they mostly understood and supported each other.

In 1980, 35-year-old Gao Zhixia wanted to be admitted to the teaching class of Shanghai Institute of Graphic Arts, but she was worried that her two young children would have no one to take care of her. After her husband Lao Gu found out, he asked her to go and let him Come take care of the kids.

That year, Gao Zhixia was successfully admitted to college with excellent results, and after graduation, he entered Shenyang Printing College as a teacher;

In order to follow his wife, Lao Gu gave up his high-paying job. After working in a factory, he chose to work as a logistics supporter in school.

In this way, the couple worked diligently and went through ups and downs together for more than 20 years. Their life was ordinary but happy; in a blink of an eye, the old couple reached the age of retirement.

But what they never expected was that Gao Zhixia unfortunately suffered from breast cancer in 1996 before they had time to imagine their life after retirement.

The doctor even gave an ultimatum, "(Gao Zhixia) may not survive more than three years."

This news, like a bolt from the blue, shattered their peaceful life. Gao Zhixia was unwilling to give in. They still had many things to do together. Why were their lives counting down?

The anti-cancer article "I Want to Win" written by Gao Zhixia was published in the hospital newspaper

Fortunately, with the doctor's treatment and the efforts of the couple, Gao Zhixia's death came three years later Xia's condition improved.

But the long-term surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy exhausted Gao Zhixia’s energy, and she felt that she “didn’t live like a human being.”

Her breasts and armpit lymph nodes were removed, her hair fell out in large quantities, and she vomited from time to time. Even her originally high-pitched singing voice became hoarse due to radiation damage. All this made her feel even more painful, and she felt that her life in this world was just a last gasp.

Husband Lao Gu saw this and felt pain in his heart. He felt that he could not go on like this, so he decided to retire early and took his wife to travel to change his mood.

They should go out for a walk while they can still move and still have each other's company, see the scenery they didn't have time to see when they were young, and do the things they didn't try when they were young. Don't let life leave any regrets.

In this way, they embarked on the "anti-cancer journey", and once this journey started, they could never stop.

3

21 years of life and death:

I would rather die on the road than live at home

In 1999, Lao Gu took His wife, Gao Zhixia, joined a car tour group organized by the Shenyang Senior Cycling Team and went all the way south to Yunnan and Hainan.

Along the way, they arrived in Kunming, the "City of Spring", and enjoyed the wonderful spring-like nights all year round; they also visited the "ends of the world" in Hainan, and also dived into the sea in Sanya and swam with jellyfish... …

More importantly, during the 40-day journey, they and their companions talked and laughed on the bus, singing and laughing, leaving all the troubles of life behind.

During this trip, Lao Gu also discovered that his wife's mood gradually improved, and she seemed particularly energetic. Sometimes she would sing and compose poems when she was in a mood, as if she was a completely different person. This strengthened his determination to travel with his wife.

In 2001, they began to organize sleeper car tour groups to travel with other elderly people.

In 2003, they organized 7 caravan tours, wrote 4 travel books, traveled all over the country, made countless good memories, and made many "old" friends with similar interests.

Among them were retired workers in their 60s, old principals in their 70s, and some cancer patients. They traveled together to see this beautiful world.

Although some patients passed away later, I believe they must have left wonderful memories in their last days.

After several trips, Gao Zhixia's physical and mental state got better and better, and he gradually stopped taking anti-cancer drugs. She also joked that she might have been forgotten by the "god of death".

The time of collective travel is happy and short-lived. By 2010, as the Lao Gu couple and their traveling companions grew older, it was no longer appropriate to organize a group tour, which was extremely risky.

So that year, Gao Zhixia and Gu Xiangdong, who were already 65 years old, bought a car and started their self-driving trip.

At first, the children of the old couple were worried about them - it was not safe for them to drive at such an old age.

But they still have the same idea: no regrets in life!

4

10 years of self-driving to the ends of the world,

There are beautiful scenery, dangers, and emotions

One day, Gao Zhixia was in his own car I wrote this sentence in my travel diary.

The old couple has three dreams:

The first is to travel throughout China and see the great rivers and mountains of the motherland;

The second is to try self-driving travel and explore alone;

The third is to write 4 travel notes and keep them in the world.

In the past 10 years, they have driven all over China, and also traveled to Laos and Thailand.

They set out from Shenyang in the northeast,

drove to distant Xinjiang,

rode through the steep Sichuan-Tibet Line and Yunnan-Tibet Line,

We also took a group photo in front of the mile mark of the Xinjiang-Tibet Line;

They had seen the pines and cypresses of Huangshan Mountain,

They had looked at the clouds and mist of Lushan Mountain,

They also experienced the tranquility of Mount Emei,

appreciated the scenery of Mount Wuyi;

They walked through the "ends of the world" in Hainan,

and also stayed overnight in the Arctic Village in Mohe;

They have seen the ruggedness of the northwest and the brilliance of the Mogao Grottoes.

They have been to the Mira Pass, which is more than 5,000 meters above sea level.

They even drove across it. Crossing the great desert of Inner Mongolia...

They have left their footprints on thousands of meters of plateaus, steep and majestic mountains, and zip lines across the two mountains.

Everywhere they go, they will not miss the local delicacies. They can go shopping and eat wherever they want, feeling free and unrestrained.

This journey was not smooth sailing for them, but the difficulties did not stop them from moving forward.

They got stuck in a car in the desert of Inner Mongolia,

encountered strong winds and hail in the no-man’s land of the Xinjiang-Tibet line;

On the way from Yecheng to Kashgar Attacked by a sandstorm;

When going to Turpan from Baluntai

I walked on a provincial road that had not been repaired in 10 years and ran out of gas halfway...

The last The most dangerous time was when the car overturned in Tibet and almost died. Fortunately, all four people in the car escaped death.

Along the way, the old couple not only witnessed countless scenery, but also met many like-minded travel companions and received warm care from many strangers.

5

Put "home" in the car

The most beautiful scenery should be seen with the one you love

This year, Lao Gu and Gao Zhixia are 76 years old. They have traveled together for 21 years, covering 250,000 kilometers, and even replaced three RVs.

The RV they are driving now was modified by Lao Gu himself.

Although the RV is small, it has all the necessary features. The entire car is thermally and sound-insulated, the chassis is armored, a kitchen cabinet is built on the left side of the rear, and a storage cabinet is built on the right side.

The modified folding bed can sleep three people when opened.

Under the seat of the RV, there is a flush toilet, so you can solve the toilet problem without getting out of the car;

The trunk has been transformed into a small kitchen with a refrigerator and a stove.

The car is also equipped with a water and electricity system, a 250W solar panel on the roof, Shanling mobile Wi-Fi, and a parking fuel heater.

The modified car is a mobile home.

Along the way, Lao Gu drove and Gao Zhixia was responsible for the navigation.

And Lao Gu is not only Gao Zhixia’s “exclusive driver”, but also “exclusive chef”.

For Gao Zhixia and Gu Xiangdong, the greatest happiness along the way is not how beautiful the scenery is, but: when I have seen the most beautiful scenery, you are by my side to share it with me. it.

6

The old couple became popular on the Internet

Thousands of netizens: This is true love

Gao Zhixia and Lao Gu, usually They also have the habit of writing travel notes and organizing photo albums. They want to preserve the best memories.

Their third dream has now come true. They wrote four travel notes: "A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles to the Northwest", "A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles to the Southeast", "A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles to the Southwest" and "A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles to the Northeast", which were successfully published.

In March 2018, the couple became famous overnight due to a video; they were also invited to appear on a program by CCTV.

After hearing their stories, many netizens said: This is the best form of love!

After becoming popular, the life of the old couple has not changed much. They are still on the road and continue to move forward until the day when they can no longer walk.

Some people say that they really envy them. Before the end of their lives, they can travel around the world in style, see this vast world, and live every day of the rest of their lives into poetry and distance;

But Riding a Donkey envied them even more for having lovers like each other. They had known each other for forty years, tested life and death for twenty years, and traveled around the world hand in hand for ten years;

Poverty did not stop them from loving each other and working together. Nothing separated them, not even cancer, made them give up on each other.

Real love may be like this for them:

Even if the passion of newly married people fades away, and they understand the dullness of life and the triviality of life, they are still willing to go find poetry and love with you. Far away;

Even if I face the hardships of life and have seen the vicissitudes of the world, I still choose to stay with you and be your strongest backing.