Li Guangcai, 66, worker, retired in 1985.
Li Guangcai suffered from cholelithiasis for years. Over the past decade, he had a recurrence of his old illness once every year. Each time after having injections and taking medicine at hospital, he would recover. Apart from this, he was generally in good health. Before New Year's Day of 1999, he fell ill once again. He had a medical checkup and was told it was cholelithiasis again. He stayed hospital until the Chinese Spring Festival in February when he went back home feeling quite well. During the festival, one of his neighbors dropped in and told him that practicing Falun Gong was good for his health and persuaded him to have a try. He started practicing about a week later. He soon felt that he had acquired a "Falun" (Wheel of Law) in his belly, believing it being given by Li Hongzhi.
In early March, he suffered another attack of his old illness. His family tried to take him to hospital, but he refused too. He said, "I won't take any medicine nor go to see the doctor. I will get better by just practicing Falun Gong. Master Li Hongzhi has said that I should practice Falun Gong wholeheartedly. If I see the doctor or take medicine, I won't be able to achieve divinity as a Falun Gong practitioner." No matter how hard his family tried, Li Guangcai remained at home, practicing Falun Gong and meditating. Soon he was losing weight with each passing day and his condition started becoming worse. He got a fever in mid-March, with his temperature sometimes going as high as 41 degrees centigrade. Yet he kept refusing to go to hospital, saying that would "destroy what I have achieved in practicing Falun Gong and Master Li Hongzhi would retrieve my 'Falun.' I would die rather than go to hospital." The fever lasted for over one month.
On April 20, he went into a coma. When his family tried to carry him to a hospital, he woke up and refused to go, clinging to the stair railings with his emaciated hands, saying: "There are many examples in the Falun Gong practice sites. The illness goes away without medicine. Once in the hospital to take medical treatment and medicine, they will die." But his family did not listen to him and carried him to the hospital by force. The doctors checked him and found that the gallstone had caused cholangitis and perforation, and more seriously, peritonitis. It was too late. The doctors took emergency measures but had no effect.
On April 22, Li Guangcai died in the hospital.
