Father whose disabled son died while he was quarantined with coronavirus just wants ‘quiet life’
- Teenager with cerebral palsy was left at home without adequate care when his dad and brother were isolated at a treatment facility
- Yan Xiaowen has now recovered from the illness, while his younger son tested negative
Yan Xiaowen, 49, was transferred from a coronavirus facility to a hospital, both in the Xinghua township of Huanggang, in Hubei province, on February 12, where he has spent the past week under medical observation.
The nightmare began when Yan developed symptoms including a fever, cough, chest pain and fatigue three days after returning with his two sons to their hometown in Huajiahe township after he had been working in Wuhan – the outbreak epicentre – in the middle of last month.
The father and his autistic younger son, Yan Hongwei, 11, were then quarantined by authorities at a treatment centre on January 23. But his 17-year-old son, Yan Cheng, who had cerebral palsy – a severe motor disability that requires around-the-clock attention – was left at home without regular care, food or company, and died six days later.
Yan Xiaowen, his primary carer, and Hongwei were both moved to the hospital in Xinghua, and Hongwei later tested negative for the virus.