(Minghui.org) A fruit farmer’s vision quickly declined after she was arrested late last year for practicing Falun Gong. As Ms. Yu Junxiao wasn't given proper and timely treatment in detention, she became blind shortly after her release.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a mind-body practice that has been suppressed by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Yu and her daughter Ms. Hu Fangyan, both residents in Pinggu District, Beijing, were stopped by the police on the street while on their way to visit a family member in the hospital on November 11, 2020. The police arrested both of them, ransacked their home and confiscated their Falun Gong books and materials.
Both the mother and daughter were taken to the Dongcheng District Detention Center around midnight. While getting out of the police car, Ms. Yu said to police officer Wang Chao that her vision was blurred and she couldn’t see the road clearly. Wang attributed her vision issue to her having been starved the whole day. He and others helped Ms. Yu walk into the detention center.
The next day, the detention center guards drew Ms. Yu’s blood for a physical examination. She didn’t have any food either and remained very weak. Beginning in the afternoon, she began to have pain in her eyes. She also felt very dizzy and had a fever.
When Ms. Yu woke up on the morning of the third day, her vision had further declined. She tried to do the Falun Gong exercises to improve her condition, but was stopped by the guards.
On December 18, 2020, after 37 days of detention, both Ms. Yu and Ms. Hu were released on bail. When Ms. Yu went to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor said she had missed the best time to treat her eyes and there wasn’t much they could do to help her.
Ms. Yu is completely blind now and she has to rely on her family to take care of her.
Ms. Yu’s family owns a 2.33 acre peach farm. In the past two years, as her husband had an operation on his ankle, Ms. Yu took on most of the farm work, often working before dawn until dark. She said it was from practicing Falun Gong that she was filled with energy.
Now her husband’s ankle still hasn’t recovered and her daughter lost her job due to the persecution. There is also an 86-year-old relative that stays with them and relies on their financial support. Ms. Yu’s eye condition only makes the family’s situation even more devastating.
