'You Quiz on the Block' singer Yu Yeol returned to the broadcast after regaining his health following treatment for a rare disease.
On the 13th episode of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' (hereafter 'You Quiz'), singer Yu Yeol, who returned to narrating 'Three Days, Documentary,' appeared. Yu Yeol said, "The 'Three Days, Documentary' producer contacted me again. After the narration recording ended I cried," and spoke about the preciousness of life. After his illness he said, "Because I was usually busy I would just read the narration parts and finish, but these people's lives are philosophy. So I participate in all the recordings," describing his changed attitude.
His diagnosis was idiopathic pleural parenchymal elastic fibrosis. It is a 1% rare disease in which lung inflammation heals and then recurs and hardens, making breathing difficult.
In 2023, a video of Yu Yeol singing praise at a church spread on YouTube and people noticed his signs of illness. Yu Yeol said, "In 2023 I was invited to a small church to sing praise and it appeared on YouTube so many people learned about it," and added, "At that time I lost weight down to 47–48kg."
Then in May 2024, after going to the emergency room with high fever and the flu, he could not be discharged for six months. Day by day he wasted away, and Yu Yeol had to rely on his wife. But his wife could not shed a single tear. Yu Yeol said, "My wife had already cried in advance, she cried until her knees were wet at early morning church, she cried in passing cars, and she actually came in smiling," and added, "One day my son quietly told his mother, 'I cried and prayed in the school restroom,'" conveying his family's sorrow.
His condition worsened to the point of discussing life-sustaining treatment. At that time, when there seemed to be no answer other than organ transplantation, fortunately Yu Yeol had an opportunity for a lung transplant after three months. However, his condition was poor so it failed, and the second time he endured the donor's autopsy decision by the National Forensic Service and the sorrow of his mother's passing.
He was close to losing the will to live. But when cardiac arrest came, he remembered that he had not told his son many things. He wrote down notes saying, 'I hope nothing like that happens, but if I go, tell them everything was a blessing,' and 'My beloved son Jeong-yun. You are getting more and more wonderful. Thank you! I had many promises with you that I couldn't keep, I'm sorry. Grow up well. I will always watch over you and pray. Let's meet again happily someday. So goodbye.'
Afterwards, miraculously receiving an organ donation, he recovered 90% of his health. Yu Yeol said, "These are the words of a father who donated his suddenly departed daughter's organs. He wanted the person who received our daughter's organs to be healthy. I was so grateful and I cried. So I wanted to live a life that remembers such words," and he held back tears as he expressed gratitude to the donor who gave him lungs and to the donor's father.
[Photo channel] tvN channel 'You Quiz on the Block' broadcast screen capture
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