It may seem impossible for an aged man suffering from terminal cancer to fulfill a dream of touring the world, but his granddaughter made it happen within a few days through micro-blogging.
The journey started on May 11 when Ling Yifan, a 29-year-old artist from Beijing, posted a plea attached by a portrait of her grandfather, Ling Ruiming, a terminal cancer patient yearning for travel around the world. Her micro blog on Weibo.com (the biggest Twitter-like platform in China) solicited worldwide bloggers to take a photo with the portrait in different locations around the world.
To Ling's surprise, the post was forwarded nearly 90,000 times and nearly 10,000 photos were taken in different places. Along with the photos, Ling also received an ocean of prayers for her grandfather.
The old man, despite his weak state, felt delighted and grateful to see the photos, said Ling. Limited by his physical condition, he always tries to scan them individually as much as possible until too tired to continue.
"No matter how long my grandpa holds on and whether there will be a miracle or not, he has been blessed," said Ling Yifan.
According to Ling, her grandfather was born in Shanghai and moved to Beijing around 1949. He worked as an engineer.
"It's a miracle to see his dream finally accomplished at the very end of his life," she said.
She said her grandfather, who has not been informed of his condition, frequently asks if he can leave the hospital and return home to be with his family. He says he wants to begin his world tour as soon as possible, she said.
"It's sad to think that he might never have a chance to get out of the hospital," she said.
Grandpa Ling's portrait is here: http://www.dailychilli.com/images/stories/2012/05/16_18/filfil%2003.jpg
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