Against all odds

By Yang Guang (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-18 07:53

Securing a berth at the prestigious and highly competitive Peking University is a dream come true for millions of young Chinese high school graduates. But for Ding Ding, it was nothing short of a miracle - for he was diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy at birth.

A student of the Hubei Experimental High School, he was admitted to the university in 2007, culminating in a long journey of sheer grit and will power, powered by the steely nerves of his mother, Zou Hongyan.

A teacher by training, Zou loves children. When she learnt she was pregnant, she was over the moon and eagerly looked forward to a healthy, smart baby. But Ding Ding's birth came as a bolt from the blue.

Zou Hongyan and her son Ding Ding. [Courtesy of Zou Hongyan]

Many well-intentioned family members and friends suggested that Zou give up the child, saying he would end up either physically handicapped or mentally retarded. Zou would have none of it. "I am his mother," she says simply, by way of explanation.

Zou Hongyan was determined to do her best for her son. When he was a baby, she kept up an incessant chatter with him. "I wanted to keep him stimulated and conscious of his environment," she says.

To her great relief, when her boy was 7 months old, the doctor told her there was no problem with his intelligence. But the other symptoms of cerebral palsy were very much evident, such as constant drooling and an inability to hold his neck erect.

Cerebral palsy is not caused by problems with the muscles or nerves, but rather with the brain's ability to adequately control the body.

When Ding turned 2 and other toddlers his age were running around, he could barely walk. Zou Hongyan put him through physiotherapy and that meant a massage 3 times a week for 3 years. Although Zou was already divorced from Ding's father, she did not miss a single session.

"That was the hardest bit," Zou recalls, "especially when the weather was bad." Wuhan's winters are freezing cold and its summers, scorching hot. When it rains, the roads fill with mud and slush.

Zou would teach all day and take her son to hospital after work. "After finishing all the housework, I would fall asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow," says Zou.

At 3 years of age, the boy took his first tentative steps, filling his mother's heart with great hope.

Meanwhile, his intelligence raced ahead. He was not even 2 when he was able to read 150 characters. At 2, he developed an interest in reading maps. Before 3, he was able to retell the news and weather forecasts on TV. When he started school, his knowledge of history and geography neared that of a junior high school student.

He was the only one to get full marks in both Chinese and mathematics in Grade One, and remained a top student throughout the five years of elementary school. He continued to excel in academics till the end of senior high school. He is especially fond of ancient Chinese history and is currently working on a historical novel that he began a couple of years ago. Parts of it can be found on his blog.

Zou always ensured that her son was independent. While in junior high school, he never waited for his mom to wake him up; instead, he would set the alarm and shoulder the responsibility of waking up the family.

After the national college entrance examination, everyone except Zou wanted him to choose Wuhan University. But Zou opposed it. "I insisted on Ding Ding going to a school outside Wuhan, because I knew that he could never truly grow up unless he left home and lived all by himself for a while." It was at her insistence that Ding applied to Peking University.

While in school, Ding was often left out of sports because of his poor balance and flexibility. "I have played football with my classmates a couple of times but failed to even get hold of the ball," he says.

"The only time I touched the ball, I was at once excited and embarrassed - it was an own goal."

All through his school years he remained afraid to express himself freely and was, for the most part, a loner. When he started college, he ran into problems with his roommates because of misunderstandings over his living habits. He was unable to settle them himself and it took a trip to Beijing by Zou Hongyan for a talk with Ding's roommates, to sort things out.

At the university, Ding feels pressured because of the curriculum and fierce competition. Many of his classmates are super smart having won gold medals in Science Olympiads. As an environmental science major, Ding has to do a lot of lab work in chemistry.

"I feel frustrated because my classmates finish the experiments way earlier than I do and also do them better," he says. He always works overtime to catch up and his persistence has made a deep impression on his teachers.

Ding is slowly adjusting to the demands of college. "He is now coping well with both his fellow students and his work," says Liu Hui, Ding's tutor.

"I hope Ding Ding's story will serve as an encouragement to others facing similar problems," says his proud mother.