Student felt lost and alone in new country. An encounter with a struggling elderly man on the subway changed everything
That feeling of being lost, alone and helpless can hit at different phases of life. It can come when you’re just starting at school, have moved to a new place, or even when you’re a senior citizen living by yourself. To find solace in these moments can feel like a burden lifted and hope ignited. Then, 19-year-old Song Yang felt the brunt of loneliness when he had just moved to the UK, China Daily reported. He never imagined he’d reach out to a struggling retiree, Johann Hodel, and, in return, have his life turned around. The youngster moved from Zhengzhou to London to study business management at Thames Valley University in 1999.
With culture, language, practices and life changed overnight, the then-student was struggling to adapt. He was looking for a place to stay when he met Hodel at a subway station, China.org reported. “He was elderly and had difficulty getting about, so I came over to give him a hand," Yang recalled. He helped him with his luggage and struck up a conversation with Hodel. The retiree had seen his share of struggles, too. He moved to London at the age of 58 and worked as a barkeeper, car washer and other jobs before working at the Royal Opera House until his retirement.
Hodel had no friends; he had never married and was living alone. Out of his kindness, he invited Yang into his home. The youngster was shocked to see a disorganized home, with chores lined up. The student took it upon himself to clean Hodel’s home and before they knew it, they were already intertwined into something amazing. The elderly man offered to show Yang around and even made an arrangement for him to live in his home if he did a few house chores. As a student who was alone and abroad for the first time, he took up the offer. Over time, the duo became quite intact. Yang continued to pursue his education by doing small jobs to earn tuition.
Hodel continued to share his generosity. "I did part-time jobs to pay my tuition fees and one time, Hans (Hodel's nickname) helped me clean a car,” the student recalled. The elderly man helped him and even gave Yang the few pounds he earned from it. Hodel even allowed Yang’s friends to stay over in his bedroom when they visited. The youngster remembered his kindness. The duo stayed together until Yang got his degree in 2007, Asian Feed revealed. He found a job in Zhengzhou and moved back, staying in touch with Hodel over the phone. When he learned the retiree was diagnosed with femoral head necrosis, he stepped in like a son.
A German outlet revealed that the condition is caused by a lack of blood supply to the hips and causes a gradually increasing pain over time. The man was on the waitlist for treatment and Yang urged him to come to Zhengzhou instead. The story was coming to a full cycle moment with Hodel now living in Yang’s apartment from 2008. Treating him as their own, Yang and his wife wanted to ensure he had a “happy life.” The man even paid 100,000 yuan ($16,000) for Hodel’s surgeries and treatments. Hodel was even given the joy of becoming a grandpa when Yang became a father. After a 14-year friendship, the retiree passed away at the age of 80 in 2013. A bleak encounter with a stranger gave the duo a family when they needed it most. Yang takes forward his legacy, reliving the kindness and generosity he was bestowed every day of his life.
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