From Tears to Joy - The Story of En Nu Li

The Points of Contact Program, a charity partnership between Cathay Pacific Airline (Asia Miles) and C.A.R.E. Housing Society has made the biggest dream of a 69 year old lady came true. Ms. En Nu Li, the first recipient of this program, finally set her foot again in her hometown, Guangzhou in China, after seven years of being separated with her son, daughter, and grandchildren.

Ms. Li and her husband, Mr. Chan, immigrated to Canada from China seven years ago with assistance from their elder daughter in Vancouver. As their daughter got divorced and was left with two children several years ago, they began to experience great financial difficulty. Shortly, they moved into a government subsidized seniors' residence located in Chinatown and relied heavily on welfare. With a very tight budget, they could barely afford their basic living needs.

Terrifying news broke out in the seniors' building where Ms. Li and her husband resided early this year. Mr. Chan was diagnosed with lung cancer and everyone in the building was shocked as he had always been very healthy. While he was hospitalized, his last wish was to see his son and grandchildren in China. Unfortunately, his son was financially incapable of traveling to Canada. Mr. Chan eventually passed away without fulfilling his last wish. Ms. Li suffered tremendously from the loss of her lifelong partner and was left heart-broken that her husband's wish had not been completed.

During the candidate selection process, Ms. Li expressed great desire to visit her family in China in order to fulfill her husband's last wish. She cried, "It is impossible for me to save up for a plane ticket to China. My husband passed away without fulfilling his last wish. I really want to see my son and grandchildren again in my lifetime." The Board of Directors at C.A.R.E. was touched with her situation and granted her an airplane ticket made possible by the donation of Asia Miles points from generous donors all around the world.

Ms. Li could not withhold her excitement and happiness as she realized she would be going for a one-month trip to China to visit her children and grandchildren in mid-June. She was sleepless for several days before departing to her hometown. Finally, she had the opportunity to see her far-away son, daughter and grandchildren again for the first time after seven long years.

She first took a flight with Cathay Pacific Airline to Hong Kong, where she stayed for one night before catching a train in the daytime to China. When she arrived in China, her whole family was already waiting for her in the train station. Everyone was so emotionally charged because none of them had ever imaged that they would see each other again. Their tears and laughter filled the entire train station as they cuddled each other in their arms.

When Ms. Li arrived in China, the temperature had already heated up very badly. She stayed at a small 2-bedroom apartment where her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren lived. Since both her son and her daughter-in-law were unemployed, they had great financial difficulty and could not afford activities that would cost too much money. Still, they had spent a lot of quality time with Ms. Li at home talking about their current lives and fond memories of their father.

Ms. Li particularly enjoyed playing with her two young grandchildren. When she left for Canada seven years ago, her grandchildren were too small to form clear memories of her. Therefore, the children were both very excited after waiting for so long to see their grandmother in person again. They spent a lot of warm and memorable times together as they kept chatting and laughing at home. And, at last, Ms. Li had the chance to take a family photo with her children and grandchildren.

As Ms. Li returned to Canada after her trip, she was a lot happier and looked much healthier. "I really have to say 'thank you' to everyone in this program," said Ms. Li after the trip. "We (Her family in Guangzhou and herself) were so happy to see each other. I am so glad that I have finally seen my grandchildren. They are so tall now." She had finally fulfilled her biggest dream and her husband's last wish of reuniting with their family members in her hometown. She said that she was very lucky to be part of this program and she really hoped that other seniors would benefit from it as well.