CHAPTER 13

Original (Published in "Lun's World"): 2004-03-04

Rewritten: 2025-04-29

We didn't dare take Lun on a plane because he would ask us to open the cabin door and leave during the flight.

In the nine years since 1995, I have not brought Lun back to Hong Kong to visit relatives. Firstly, most of my close relatives are in Canada, and secondly, Lun is very afraid of flying.

The direct flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong takes more than twelve hours, and the return trip takes even longer. Whenever I think about enduring such a long journey, I feel extremely reluctant.

Children with autism can have very heightened senses, but each person's situation and sensitivity is different. Lun cares a lot about light, sound and space. He is afraid of the dark, being confined and noisy environments, especially constant, rumbling noise. The cabin in flight meets the above three conditions.

When Lun was eight years old, our family of six returned to Hong Kong to visit relatives. My wife and younger son went first, and a few days later I took Lun and my parents with me. I had a heavy responsibility. Lun vomited soon after arriving at the airport lobby. After we took great pains to take care of him, he calmed down. I touched his forehead and found his temperature was normal. I guess it was due to the long journey and the disruption of his sleep rhythm.

Not long after the family boarded the plane, Lun felt very uncomfortable in the cramped environment and started crying, and the crying became more and more intense. The lights were turned off during the flight, making the cabin dark, and the endless rumbling noise made him restless. Later, he dragged me to the cabin door and instructed me to open the door and leave! It could not be done!

I couldn't care about my parents at all and just focused on comforting Lun. The flight attendants were very considerate and let us stay in the area where the airplane meals were prepared. The passengers were also very tolerant and did not complain. Sometimes I held him in my arms while we rested in the seat, and sometimes we walked around the cabin. Fortunately, he did not vomit again, and the four of us finally survived the over ten hour flight.

He couldn't stand the environment and weather in Hong Kong and developed bronchitis shortly after arriving. He had to take antibiotics and a large amount of anti-allergic drugs. I guess it wasn't a happy journey for him.

A few years later, one night when I was driving home, my wife and I were chatting about our plan to visit relatives in Hong Kong. When we mentioned the arrangements for the flight, Lun, who was sitting behind me, suddenly yelled. I immediately realized that Lun was making a strong protest. I asked him if that was the case? He didn't answer, but he remained quiet.

The last time he flew he was eight, but he looked and was built like a six-year-old, and I could handle it. Now he is seventeen and only two inches shorter than me. If he makes a scene at the airport, how can we get on the plane? Even if we were on the plane, if he rebelled in the cabin, we might be "invited" to leave for the sake of flight safety. Even if we were allowed to complete the trip, I am now 44 years old and suffering from many illnesses. I dare not imagine the scene of fighting a "trapped beast" twice, and whether I can hold on.

One way to prepare is to ask our family doctor to prescribe sedatives. But a trip back to Hong Kong is not necessary, so why should he take medicine and suffer again? If the medicine doesn’t work, I’m not sure I can spend the time in the cabin safely. In the end we gave up the idea of ​​returning to Hong Kong.

I once had an idea to board a private plane, set up his favorite things on the plane, including food, drinks, toys, audio equipment, clothes and bedding, and let him make a lot of noise without disturbing others.

It’s okay to fantasize, but it’s not okay to act recklessly.