Paraplegic student defends her thesis from hospital bed

A special thesis oral defense was held for a seriously injured third-year graduate student at a hospital in Central China's Henan province on Sunday.

The student, Cheng Yanfang, who was about to graduate this year from East China University of Political Science and Law, became a paraplegic after a car accident in April.

"Finishing her thesis, getting her master's degree and becoming a teacher is my sister's biggest dream," Cheng Hao, Cheng Yanfang's younger brother, told thepaper.cn. He said even though the accident left her with no feeling below her chest, she maintained her rehabilitation training and read papers in her spare time.

Before the accident, she had already finished her thesis writing. She planned to return to Shanghai to complete the oral defense in late May after finding a job in her hometown, Henan province. But she suffered a car accident on her way to attend a job interview a month ago.

Cheng Hao said her sister's life was saved, but her head, neck and chest must be fixed with brackets, and she cannot feel anything below her chest. She can only lift her hands and arms a little, and only three fingers out of 10 can move.

"She wants to finish her oral defense of master's thesis and get a job, like a normal student," Cheng Hao said.

To fulfill her desire, professors at the university made a decision to hold a special oral defense for Cheng Yanfang.