Disabled Chinese man inspires many by starting primary school at 16, medical school at 25
Dedicated to medicine, in 2014, Li pledged to donate his body for medical research after death
A Chinese man with cerebral palsy has inspired many by chasing his dreams with perseverance, becoming a primary school student at 16 and then entering medical school at 25.
Now 37, Li Chuangye, from central China’s Henan province, has opened a small clinic in Yunnan province in southwestern China, fulfilling his dream of becoming a doctor.
Li contracted cerebral palsy at the age of one. Unfortunately, due to a lack of timely treatment, he had to walk with a squat gait for his entire life.
Li’s parents exhausted the family’s savings on his treatments. After a failed surgery at the age of nine, Li decided he did not want to burden his family any more and sought out a man who promised to give him a job.
Sadly, he was deceived by this man, who exploited disabled children for begging, profiting from their plight.
From the ages of nine to 16, Li was forced to beg on the streets, earning only 100 yuan (US$14) a month.