WU ZIHAN, a 13-year-old boy with cerebral palsy (CP), is a student merit award winner at school. Wu’s inspirational story has everything to do with his determination, along with his mother’s unending care.

Around the time of Wu’s birth, he suffered jaundice and a brain injury due to a lack of oxygen. Wu was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 9 months old, missing the best time for interventions, DT news reported.

Wu’s condition caused difficulties in muscle control, where he had abrupt movements, abnormal postures and reflexes.

Zhang Qiufeng, Wu’s mother, told the reporter: “The doctor said that his condition is congenital CP due to the motor function of his brain being impaired; yet it doesn’t affect his intelligence. It is better to spend money on rehabilitation, rather than physical exams.”

After Wu’s diagnosis, the family’s whole world changed into black and white. “We would rather stay outside than face the pain of the truth at home,” she admitted.

Wu’s rehabilitation expenses were 100,000 yuan (US$14,872) every year, which was beyond what the family could afford. His therapy costs had eaten up all their savings and they had no choice but to approach other relatives and friends for loans.

Due to their strained resources, Wu’s strength training was paused from time to time, resulting in muscle weakness relapses. The situation improved after Wu obtained a disability certificate when he was 4 and was able to receive a monthly allowance since then.

“Ten years ago, the allowances from Shenzhen Disabled Persons Federation were over 10,000 yuan per year. I also applied for other kinds of subsidies. The remaining cost for us to cover was around 50,000 yuan a year,” Zhang said.

Zhang resigned from her job at a private company to become her son’s full-time caregiver. “He would cry for hours during muscle strength practice, and the pain he experienced was more than stretching for dancing,” she said.

Despite that, Zhang has never spoiled her child. Instead, she raised him into a strong-minded and positive person. “Don’t be afraid of the negatives and dare to admit them, regardless of how others are looking at you,” she encouraged Wu.

Zhang believes that all her efforts paid off after Wu called her “mom” for the first time when he was 2, which brightened her life.

Wu’s father, the family’s breadwinner, is a truck driver and is always away for work. “Sometimes when our family faced economic difficulties, he would try to solve the problems on his own instead of sharing them with me. Families like us always do so,” Zhang said.

Wu had never failed his parents’ expectations. His bedroom is filled with books and all kinds of school award certificates for his excellent work. “He likes reading books, particularly history ones. He can finish reading a book in two hours,” Zhang said.

According to the World Health Organization, as of 2018, there were more than 10 million people with cerebral palsy worldwide, with more than 6 million in China, including 1.78 million children under the age of 12, who belonged to impoverished families.  (Xia Yuanjie)