Chinese cab driver takes wife with Alzheimer's to work

World
Europe

A Beijing cab driver has been taking his wife, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, on all his rides so he can care for her while working, despite receiving mixed responses from passengers.

The driver's story has moved thousands of netizens after one of his passengers shared his ride hailing experience on China's social media platform Weibo.

Last week, businessman Cai Hongyan called a cab via China's car hailing app Didi. When his ride arrived, he discovered the front passenger seat had been taken, The Beijing Times reported.

"Please don't mind my wife sitting next to me," the driver surnamed Shen told Cai. "She has Alzheimer's so I have to take her with me."

Shen's wife, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, sits at the front passenger seat. /Photo via Weibo

Shen's wife has been suffering with dementia for years and he decided to bring her along so that he could take care of her, Cai learned after chatting with the driver. As Shen's wife occupied the front seat, many passengers either canceled the trip or left negative reviews, significantly lowering his Didi rating.

Cai shared Shen's story on Weibo in an attempt to speak up for the driver and called upon potential passengers to overcome prejudice and show some understanding to the family battling with Alzheimer's.

Cai's post received warm support from thousands of netizens who have expressed their willingness to help.

"You should feel very safe riding with this cab driver, as the car carries his whole world," one netizen @wodecaomeidougeinichiba commented.

"You have the right to not take the cab, but please do not give this driver a bad review," another Weibo user @Wangshuair commented.

Shen and his wife in the cab /Photo via Weibo

After learning Shen's story, Didi also volunteered to help the driver improve his rating on the platform. In the future, all passengers taking Shen's cab will receive a friendly reminder explaining the driver's predicament and asking for support.

Alzheimer's occurs when neurons in the brain lose their ability to communicate with one another, causing patients to struggle to remember names and places, orientate themselves or interact with loved ones.

In China, over seven million people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, according to the China Association for Alzheimer's Disease. Despite decades of research, the precise cause of the neurodegenerative disease remains poorly understood and no new medical treatment has been found since the turn of the century.