Yang Mei

yangmei_szdaily@163.com

IT was a full house at the Nanshan International Cultural Exchange and Service Center (NSIC) yesterday with expats and Chinese residents in Zhaoshang Subdistrict showing up at a charity event and making donations for a 7-year-old boy.

The boy, named Liang Jin,  was badly burnt in a gas explosion when his biological father, who suffers from depression, attempted to commit suicide at their home in Longgang District, Shenzhen, on Sept. 9, 2017.

Yesterday was Tencent 99 Public Welfare Day.

The event, jointly held by the NSIC, Shenzhen Deyi Charity Association and Tencent Public Welfare, aims to collect 300,000 yuan (US$43,000) in donations by Sept. 30. By press time yesterday, nearly 79,000 yuan had been in place.

The tragedy left 50 percent of the father’s body burnt, while burns cover more than 70 percent of the boy’s body.

Liang is receiving treatment at Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University and being taken care of by his grandfather. The father is being treated in his hometown Yulin City, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The mother is remarried and has her own family. Liang’s grandmother has become mentally unstable due to the shock.

Liang has been receiving a tremendous outpouring of love and support from residents in Zhaoshang Subdistrict.

American Rudy Diaz and his wife Kathy Diaz are among the very first expats who stepped up to help the boy.

Rudy is a senior executive at Apple, and the first gift he gave to Liang when he visited the boy at the hospital was an iPad. Diaz said he was eager to help when he first met Liang.

“I fell in love with the kid, I can’t just walk away and not care,” said the 61-year-old. “As I started to dig deeper, I learned that Liang had never been to school, and his mother had never been involved in the situation. Everything seemed like it wasn’t right. So I wanted to help, make things right and figure out how to move forward.”

For Liang’s case, there is a long and painful recovery process, which means that the treatment bills are mounting each day.

Rudy told the Shenzhen Daily that the boy will need at least 10 years of surgeries as well as continuous cosmetic surgeries as he grows older.

However, the good news is that Rudy has convinced the Shriners Children’s Hospital in California, the U.S., which provides specialized care for children with burns, to give Liang free treatment.

“The hospital has decided to give Liang the latest technology in medical care for burns and is willing to invite Liang’s doctor to learn to use the technology so that he can treat more kids,” he said.

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To make sure that the boy gets a normal education, the couple has established a dedicated “classroom” at a nursing facility in Sihai Community, Zhaoshang Subdistrict, where the boy and his grandfather are currently living. According to Diaz, Kathy is using her talent in elementary education to teach the boy English and art. Additionally, tutors and teachers from Shenzhen University and local international schools have also become involved in supporting Liang’s education. They are even making efforts to get Liang ready {for}{to enroll in}?} a local international academy.

The boy’s grandfather, Liang Xingfeng, told the Shenzhen Daily that he is very grateful for the Diazes and said that they have made a great impact on his grandson. “The couple has been taking Liang Jin outside to meet people and teaching him English and drawing. Now Liang Jin is able to run around and has opened himself up a lot.”

The grandfather is not just taking people’s selfless deeds for granted but is also giving back. He said that he often visits kids in hospitals with burns, sharing Liang’s experiences with them to encourage them to face the future.

Daniel Pippin, an American who has been living in the Shekou area since 1995, was among the very first group of the expats to help Liang. In the beginning, he arranged charity events through restaurants in Shekou and worked to involve more international donations.

The 72-year-old said he has been staying in the background since the Diazes were on board to help.

Pippin describes the Diazes as “angels that we were always hoping we would find.” He also appreciates the Shenzhen government for saving Liang’s life and getting him past the critical point. “The city had been paying the medical bills in the beginning, but since he got past the life-saving stage, it’s been up to the communities and individuals to help,” he said.

Bruno Schuyten from Belgium and his volunteer team “HOPE Project” are also ready to do their bit to help the little boy. On Sept. 7, the team organized a brewing culture exchange event as a way to raise funds for Liang.

According to Schuyten, they raised over 2,800 yuan and donated all the money to a charity event in the name of Yanshan Community and their team. “We are gonna help as much as we can to give the couple a break from all the stress without intruding on their system and help raise people’s awareness through our events,” he said.

Han Jingjing, a mother of two, said she was deeply touched by Liang’s story and the selfless deeds of the couple. “I was deeply touched by what the couple has been doing for the boy. It’s selfless love that knows no boundaries,” said Han, adding that she will bring her kids to visit Liang on weekends and let them make friends with Liang. “Liang seems to be just like other children who are naughty and like running around. I want to teach my children about being kind and compassionate towards disadvantaged groups. I think he can only recover from the tragic accident if he has more friends,” she said.