Passengers on a Hainan Airlines flight last week had their hearts melted as they witness a stewardess’ kind gesture to help an old man.
The stewardess known as Fan Xuesong had knelt down to spoon feed 71 year old man, Mr. Niu after she saw him having difficulty eating his meal.
Mr. Niu was a retired professor of medicine. Due to a recent stroke, he can no longer hold a spoon as he is partially paralyzed and wheelchair-bound.
On his flight, Mr. Niu was moved to the first row of cabin so that he would have more room and an easier time accessing the restroom. His wife, who is his only caretaker along with his child, was not transferred and so had to sit apart from him.
Mr. Niu was having difficulty eating his meal when Fan noticed his struggle. She didn’t even think twice about helping and knelt down infront of him.
“When I said I wanted to feed him, he suddenly felt touched and started to cry,” she told reporters after the photos went viral in China.
She patiently spoon Mr. Niu rice. When he had a hard time chewing the rice without choking, she went to take a box of noodles instead.
Her response to his difficulties touched Mr. Niu which made him cry even more and so she went to get tissues to dab his tears away. Fan herself seemed teary eyed during the moment.
The incident was captured by a passenger who was sitting nearby who then uploaded the pictures to Weibo, China’s social media equivalent of Twitter, where it was then shared by millions.
“Someone tried to take her photo and she asked them not to. I couldn’t help but cry as she helped me eat, blew my nose and wiped away my tears,” Mr. Niu told reporters. “I do not know the girl’s name but given the chance I would thank her again.”
Fan, who is single and has been a flight attendant for 11 years, said of her act: “Mr. Niu worked hard all his life and contributed to society, we should be kind to him.”
