For over 4 years, the story of Liu Zhenyan from Wei Hui city, Henan province, has been widely shared on social media. The community calls her the "second mother" for her journey to snatch her daughter-in-law from the brink of death.

Tragedy struck on 25/6/2020, when Liu's daughter-in-law suffered a severe traffic accident, resulting in multiple bone fractures and a traumatic brain injury. After emergency craniotomy, doctors predicted a survival rate of less than 1%. Even if she survived, she risked living in a permanent vegetative state.

When Liu rushed to the hospital, her critically ill daughter-in-law weakly called out: "Mother". That call solidified Liu's resolve: "Even with just 1% hope, I must save her".

Liu carries her daughter-in-law for personal hygiene, 10/2025. Photo: QQ

To cover the immense surgical costs, Liu and her son exhausted their savings and borrowed over one million Chinese yuan (approximately 3.5 billion Vietnamese dong). "Difficulties piled up, but I never thought of giving up. I want to keep this family together", she shared.

For 365 days her daughter-in-law was hospitalized, Liu slept on a mat directly on the floor beside the hospital bed, on call 24 hours a day. She concealed her identity as the mother-in-law, caring for her so meticulously that doctors, nurses, and other patients in the room believed she was her biological daughter.

The accident's aftermath left a part of her daughter-in-law's skull indented. Out of love for her young daughter-in-law, Liu borrowed tens of thousands more yuan for reconstructive surgery to repair the skull. "If she wakes up and sees herself disfigured, she will be very sad. I want her to be as whole as possible", Liu said.

For over 4 years, the elderly mother-in-law has handled everything from personal hygiene and feeding to rehabilitation exercises. Whenever her daughter-in-law needed to move, Liu carried her on her back.

Liu's daughter-in-law in her wedding photo. Photo: QQ

What many admire is Liu's stance on her son's happiness. Immediately after the incident, Liu issued an ultimatum: dedicate all efforts to treatment, and regardless of whether her daughter-in-law recovered or not, her son was not allowed to marry anyone else.

"If his wife truly does not survive or is permanently disabled, my son will not marry again. I do not want my grandchild to experience having a stepmother", she stated. Her son, who was childhood sweethearts with his wife, fully agreed and shared the burden of debt with his mother.

The family's persistence created a miracle. From a deep coma, Liu's daughter-in-law is now conscious, able to blink, move her fingers, and smile. She can maintain a sitting posture and pulls her mother-in-law's hand up to kiss it as a gesture of thanks.

"I do not know how many more 5-year periods the future holds, but I will definitely persevere to the very end", Liu said. Her biggest wish now is to hear her daughter-in-law speak again.

Bao Nhien (According to QQ, Red Star News)