“I want to contribute to society in a meaningful way, letting everybody know that physical disability need not hold a person back.”

— Shen Bojian

Wang Yuanyuan, Luo Yunzi

ANY high school graduate would be happy to get into a prestigious university, but for one 19-year-old boy in Hunan Province, happiness is too small a word to express what he feels.

Born in Xiangxiang, Hunan Province, Shen Bojian was enrolled by Hunan Normal University on July 13 and after suffering from progressive spinal muscular atrophy since he was born, his years of struggle have finally paid off.

“I don’t know what to say. All 4,000 days of the past 12 years have come back to me. This honor does not belong just to me but to all those who have helped me and supported me, my parents, my mother, my teachers and classmates,” he said.

Wang Jinchun, Shen’s mother, added, “This was like mission impossible, but we did it. We were always worried that the university would reject him as a result of his disability, so I sobbed tears of joy when I heard that would not be the case.”

All in the name of study

Everyone who knew Shen thought of him as an indomitable character who could handle any challenge.

Since birth, Shen has spent most of his childhood and primary school life in hospital.

Because his muscles are so weak, he cannot hold a pen or turn a page like a normal person. “I can only write with my thumb, and it is very slow. Sometimes I cannot even read my own writing,” he said.

At that time, nobody expected Shen to finish school.

Due to his disease, he could not move independently. “My parents had to lift me out of bed every morning and I also faced a big problem in going to the toilet, so my parents and relatives tried to persuade me to give up on school,” he said.

But Shen refused. After not speaking for days, Shen told his mother he wanted to try his best to finish school. “My mother said a person can not choose his destiny and I agreed, but I think a person can choose his attitude towards destiny and my choice was to go to school no matter what,” he said.

He decided to try to control himself, only going to the toilet at home after school.

“I thought it was a crazy idea. I told him it was impossible, but he would not listen and started to train himself. After two months, he told me he had succeeded. What could I say? So I decided to send him to school,” Wang said.

However, controlling his bladder was just the beginning. He still faced a lot of problems such as difficulty in sitting and being an extremely slow learner.

“I don’t care about that. I asked my parents to tie me onto a custom-made chair, so I could ‘sit’ there and study for hours. I studied at least two hours more than the others every day to practice my writing and page-turning ability. I was left behind, so I could do more and practice more to catch up with my studies,” he said.

After entering Xiangxiang No. 2 Middle School six years ago, he has gradually become one of its top students.

Eternal love and friendship

According to Shen, his dream would never have come true without all the love, support and friendship offered by his loved ones.

“Apart from my parents, I want to thank my friend Liu Zhuo the most,” he said.

Liu and Shen had been classmates for six years and since Junior 3, Liu had been carrying Shen from class to class.

Every morning, Shen’s father, Shen Yucheng, took Shen to school by bicycle and Liu carried Shen on his back between classrooms, which impressed everyone at the school.

“Every time one of us had a problem and thought about giving up, we would think of Shen. He is a huge inspiration to everybody at school,” said Liu.

At school, Shen was always the center of attention. “Although he has difficulty speaking, he is very chatty. He is very knowledgeable and funny, so we all like to talk to him after class. We’ve never thought of him as different, just an affable and likeable guy,” he said.

Shen is also kind, always ready to offer help to anyone any time.

“There was one time that many boarders were stuck at school for weeks due to heavy snow and ran out of money to buy food, so Shen asked his mother to go all the way to school in the snow to bring them money and meals,” said Liu.

In a small town like Xiangxiang, many parents were absent, earning a living in big cities like Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai, so Shen’s home became everybody’s home. “We often go to his home to study and eat. It was like a big and happy family. His parents are so nice and we told them everything. Sometimes our teachers had to ask his mother about our lives and thoughts,” Liu said.

However, Shen thought nothing of all this. “They have helped me so much, so it’s nothing for me to help them back,” he said.

Future dream

Shen did not prepare a lot for his future.

“I am looking forward to my university life. University is a place that I have been dreaming of since a very early age and I just want to try my best to bathe in the fountain of knowledge,” he said.

Shen was still confused about his future. “I don’t know what will happen next or how my disability will affect my life,” he said.

However, giving up was never in Shen’s mind.

“I think worrying about these things is pointless. The most important at the moment is to improve myself, making myself a useful man in order to repay my parents, friends and teachers,” he said.

Shen planned to continue his study after finishing undergraduate studies. “I want to contribute to society in a meaningful way, letting everybody know that physical disability need not hold a person back,” he said.