Inspired by Hawking, student with disability blazes own path

Xing Yifan and his parents were thrilled to learn that he had been admitted to Beihang University with a score of 645 out of a possible 750 points in this year's national college entrance examination, or gaokao.

For most high school seniors, great effort would be required to score that high. But the challenge for the 18-year-old Xing was orders of magnitude greater: He was born with congenital muscular dystrophy, or CMD, a group of disorders characterized by muscle weakness and various problems with the eyes and central nervous system.

Xing was born in Jilin, Jilin province in 2003 and was diagnosed with CMD after the 2004 Spring Festival.

"We never imagined he would grow up accompanied by such a disease," said Xing Dacheng, the young man's father. "The doctor told us there are no effective treatments for the disease. Yifan is an angel who came to our family. Although he has broken wings, we will never give up on him."

The disease resulted in Yifan having little muscle growth, so his bones got little support or protection from skeletal muscle.

"He has never walked independently and can only sit with a support," his father said. "Every 30 minutes, he has to lie down to have a rest, even in the classroom."

The disease also deformed his spine and fingers, making it more difficult for him to write.

"We thank the teachers and leaders from his primary school to senior high school," the father said. "They never refused to give him opportunities to receive an education, and they provided us with lots of help."

Yifan also studied hard and had good academic performance. He scored highest in his school in the senior high school entrance examinations in 2018.

To prepare for the national college entrance examination, the young man studied even more seriously after entering Jilin No 1 Senior High School and over the years has won multiple prizes and set an example for classmates. And he found his own sources of inspiration.

"I was quite inspired when I read the story of British physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking," Xing Yifan said. "I will continue to study hard at the university and I hope I can be a person like him — someone who changed the world with knowledge."

The whole family is now looking forward to the coming new semester even though there are still some unknown elements.

"Because of his physical condition, we seldom take him out of the city," said Xing Dacheng. "After Yifan starts university life in Beijing, his mother will take care of him full-time.

"We all believe it will be a new beginning for Yifan."