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A 39-year-old man in China, Chen Zhenfeng, recently went viral on Chinese social media site Weibo, after he decided to remarry his ex-wife upon discovering that she was seriously ill, Chinese state media Dingduan reported.
Chen's wife, Xie Hongxia, reportedly suffers from uremia -- a condition where the kidneys stop filtering out toxins from urine, and is said to be a sign of end-stage kidney disease.
Chen, who's currently a civil servant after retiring from the military about 20 years ago, said he is prepared to sell his house to cover his wife's medical bills, which is estimated to be around RMB1 million (S$214,935).
He also said that he is willing to donate one of his kidneys to his wife if they are medically compatible, after doctors recommended doing a transplant due to her condition.
The story was shared by Chinese state-controlled media Global Times on their Weibo page with the caption, "Not abandoning and not giving up, (this) is the most beautiful representation of love".
Initially divorced after seven years of marriage
According to Dingduan, Chen and Xie met through family members and got married in 2012.
In 2019, the couple reportedly filed for divorce in the heat of the moment, after arguing about "trivial matters".
After their divorce, Xie was diagnosed with the kidney disease when she went to do a check-up on her eyesight.
Kidney diseases may lead to problems that affect patients' eyesight, according to the National Kidney Foundation of the U.S.
Even though they were already divorced at the time, Chen said he "immediately" reached out to Xie and intended to take care of her as soon as he heard the news.
Chen added that he had the intention to reinstate their marriage, a request which was initially rejected by Xie and her family.
"She was worried that her medical condition would be a burden to me, but I felt that I have the responsibility to take care of her, and I want to go down this path while holding her hand in mine," he reportedly said.
Chen persisted despite Xie's initial rejections, and they reinstated their marriage in 2021, Chinese media Zhengguan News reported.
Income insufficient to cover medical costs
Chen currently earns about RMB3,000 (S$644) a month from his day job at a city transport bureau and works as a chauffeur at night to earn extra income, according to Zhengguan News.
However, his income is not enough to cover the cost of his wife's dialysis treatment, which costs RMB6,000 (S$1,289) per month, and is considering selling his house to cover the medical expenses.
Some military veterans and members of the public reportedly donated about RMB20,000 (S$4,298) to Chen's family recently.
Xie feels "very secure"
In a video published by Dianshi News, a tearful Xie said that she feels "very secure" with Chen by her side, while Chen can be seen wiping away her tears.
Image via Weibo.
Chen said he decided to remarry Xie "without hesitation", and he claimed that he wanted to fulfil his responsibility "as a man".
"Women are more delicate, I wouldn't want her to be left alone when she's so helpless," he added.
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Top image via Weibo