Seriously Ill Woman Wipes Blood on Chongqing Subway Floor

A 22-year-old woman was filmed taking off her white coat and using it to wipe away blood she had coughed up on the floor of a subway carriage in Chongqing yesterday, a scene that has touched many online.

"If I didn't clean it, someone might step on it and spread it everywhere," the young woman, identified as Hu Xinyao, told Shenzhen Evening News.

In a video widely circulated on social media, Hu is seen weakly crouching on the carriage floor, carefully wiping away the blood with her white coat. She pauses frequently to catch her breath, appearing visibly frail.

Hu has battled serious illness for years and has received multiple critical condition notices. According to previous media reports, she was diagnosed in 2018 with ANCA-associated vasculitis, a rare autoimmune disease that later progressed to kidney failure. She has since endured recurring complications, including lung infections, heart failure and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Earlier that day, she had been heading to the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University for IV drips. Due to financial hardship, she said she cannot afford extended hospitalization and instead seeks emergency care when her condition worsens.

Hu explained that she felt the urge to cough up blood as she boarded the subway, the result of gastrointestinal bleeding. When she could no longer hold it back and blood fell onto the floor, she chose to clean it up herself.

"It was my favorite coat, but I can't wear it anymore. The stains won't come out," she said in the interview with Shenzhen Evening News.

Hu added that she received yet another critical condition notice from the hospital that same day – one of more than a dozen she has received this year. A former nurse, she now largely faces her illness alone, as her elderly parents live in her hometown.

Her story has once again drawn public attention to her long and painful struggle. Last year, she reportedly turned down two marriage proposals from her boyfriend because of her deteriorating health. He later died of a serious illness, leaving her 50,000 yuan (about $7,000) to help cover her medical expenses.

Hospital staff confirmed that Hu had sought treatment there but declined to provide further details, citing patient privacy.

The Chongqing Red Cross told Jingshi Live that it is contacting the hospital to learn more about her situation and will offer assistance once more information is obtained.

In her latest post on Douyin, Hu wrote: "Life is unpredictable. I only wish for peace. Come on!" The post was accompanied by photos of a critical condition notice, emergency treatment and an intravenous drip.