Farewell to the 'Peter Pan Dad': A Legacy of Hope and Unfinished Dreams

Miracle: An extraordinary event that cannot be explained by common sense. This is how the Korean dictionary defines it. How strict a standard is that? That's why I had an almost obsessive aversion to the word when writing articles. There were several times when I removed the expression 'miracle' from my articles after the desk added it, saying, 'It's not that big of a deal.' I thought it was a clichéd expression often attached to heartwarming stories. Yet, after meeting Jeon Gyeong-cheol, who raised his severely autistic son for 27 years, no other word came to mind except 'miracle.' Mr. Jeon called his son 'Peter Pan,' saying he seemed to have preserved his innocence. The 'Peter Pan dad' was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and given six months to live last April. For his son, who would be left alone in the world, he knocked on the doors of over 1,000 disability facilities nationwide. But everyone refused, saying, 'It's difficult to accept someone with such severe symptoms.' Facilities where a severely autistic adult, now a robust adult, could live communally with 24-hour professional support are extremely rare. What saved him from despair was the online diary he began sharing in November of last year, documenting his daily life with his son. The story spread by word of mouth, and when it was featured on a broadcast program last March, citizen donations poured in, and a disability facility finally offered to accept his son. His book, *'Hello, Peter Pan'*, became a bestseller. During the interview, Mr. Jeon said, 'At one point, I was so pained that I resented the world and even considered taking my son with me, but I stopped right before acting on it.' He could not understand a society that calls the sudden behaviors of severely disabled people 'challenging behavior' in welfare settings. What changed his life was the support from ordinary neighbors. His resentment toward the world turned into gratitude, and that gratitude grew into a dream: a space where severely autistic people, left alone after their parents' passing, could reside safely 24 hours a day—the 'Neverland for Peter Pans.' Last month, he launched the Peter Pan Autism Welfare Foundation Establishment Promotion Committee and took on the role of chairman. Around 400 million won in funds, including book royalties and donations, was also collected. But he closed his eyes on the 5th of last month without seeing the foundation established. His funeral was held without a wake, as per his wishes. He knew he had little time left and that achieving his final dream would be difficult. However, he believed that no matter what others said, even if he failed, his first step would be a small source of strength for someone else who dreamed the same dream. And he desperately hoped the state would step in to ensure that severely disabled people, who would live alone without family, would not be neglected and could live a dignified life. With the strength of the support sent by many, he wrote a miracle by surpassing his expected lifespan. The journey of the Peter Pan dad has ended, but the task he left unfinished—a safe and dignified life for severely disabled people left alone—remains ours to fulfill.