Tale of ill boy who was calmed by cartoons draws school offer

A 14-year-old boy who was born without the ability to hear, and who has difficulty communicating with others, has been given a chance to study for free at a school for those with impaired hearing in Wuhan, Hubei province, after the school's authorities were impressed by doctors' use of comic strips to persuade him to undergo an operation.

Zhu Feng, from a poor family in Macheng, Hubei province, was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University last year. The illness has made him look like a 6-year-old, and he weighs just 19 kilograms.

As Zhu's condition deteriorated in January, he received an operation on his kidneys to enable him to have the long-term dialysis he needs to survive.