After thwarting 256 suicide attempts, "The Angel of the Bridge" set to retire in China
After thwarting 256 suicide attempts on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in the capital of east China's Jiangsu province, "The Angel of the Bridge", is set to retire.
Chen Si, famous for his voluntary efforts to prevent people from jumping into the fast-flowing 1,500-meter-wide Yangtze River 70 meters below the bridge, will make his last patrol on Sept 19, 10 years to the day since he started his mission.
Every weekend for the past decade, Chen has patrolled the 4,000-meter-long bridge, observing pedestrians through his binoculars and following those who "plodded along and looked as though they were in a trance", prepared to grab them at the critical moment.
"However, as I got older, it became much more difficult to do the job, but I've tried my best," said Chen, who admitted that the impulse to help the desperate will never change.
The 45-year-old from Suqian in Jiangsu has high blood pressure and despite taking medicine for a year his condition hasn't improved. He also has an excessive amount of lead in his bloodstream, which doctors attribute to the exhaust fumes he's been exposed to during his vigils at the bridge.
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2013-09/11/content_16961364.htm