Good parenting | Despite his small stature, he aspires to become the "Chinese version of Stephen Hawking"
2024-08-26
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Shao Zhenwei is currently studying computer science at Hangzhou Dianzi University. He has won many national awards including the "China University Student Self-improvement Star" National Scholarship, and has been authorized to hold two invention patents. The paper he published as the first author was selected for the world's top academic conference.
But who could have imagined that such a top student was a boy who was diagnosed with "progressive muscular atrophy" at the age of one and whose total body weight was less than 50 kilograms. Such tremendous energy burst out from such a small body.
"It has not been easy along the way," said Shao Zhenwei's mother. The growth path of the wheelchair-bound teenager is also a dream journey woven together by the family, with hope, companionship and encouragement.
Diagnosed at the age of one, but the family never gave up
In 1998, Shao Zhenwei was born in Binjiang, Hangzhou. His birth brought great joy and hope to his parents.
However, when he was one year old, fate seemed to play a joke on this family. When children of the same age could walk, Shao Zhenwei could not walk and even standing became extremely difficult. Soon, he was diagnosed with progressive spinal muscular atrophy (a disease caused by degeneration of the anterior horn motor neurons of the spinal cord and the motor nerve nuclei of the brainstem, resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy). He had first-degree limb disability and only his fingers could move.
Not only Shao Zhenwei is "trapped" in a wheelchair, but also his family, who have no control over their food, clothing, and daily life.
"When he was six or seven months old, he could still stand on tiptoe with the help of something. But when he was one year old, he could not walk or even stand." The family took Zhen Wei to see doctors all over the country, including Shanghai and Shenyang. "Big hospitals, local doctors, they took him there no matter how far, but his condition did not improve." Mother Shao's eyes were red with tears as she lost herself in memories.
However, they did not give up on their son's training. They firmly believed that when God closed a door, he would certainly open a window for him. When other children of the same age were running and playing, Zhen Xiaowei was held by his mother to listen to stories and nursery rhymes. Mother Shao's long-term recitation sowed the seeds of hope in Shao Zhenwei's heart, making him full of infinite desire for knowledge. He would echo and retell the stories told by his mother in his own words. When he encountered something he did not understand, he would actively ask his mother questions and asked her to buy him more story books.
During the break in the kindergarten, all the children went to play on the playground, but Shao Zhenwei was still sitting on the chair. Some children began to call him "disabled". Shao's father noticed his son's abnormality and always told him some stories of celebrities with disabilities who were strong-willed to enlighten him and told him to face life optimistically and positively. With his father's encouragement, Shao Zhenwei did not feel depressed for long. He shifted his attention to books. Although his space for activities was very limited, he saw a big world through his mother's narration and his own learning. He vowed to study hard.
Willing to be her son's hands and feet, a mother protects his dreams
Because of his illness, Shao Zhenwei is extremely thin and relies entirely on the railings of a chair for support. His arms are thin, his limbs are weak, and his strength is far less than that of a baby. Every day, Shao's mother would carry her schoolbag and hold Shao Zhenwei up the stairs step by step to the classroom, put him on a special desk and chair, straighten his body, and put his weak arms on the desk. Then she would take out the corresponding textbooks, paper and pens from the schoolbag according to the day's schedule.
Textbooks and other things must be placed within the reach of Shao Zhenwei. If they are beyond 10 centimeters, it will be very troublesome. Mother Shao always arranges everything before leaving. At noon, she will prepare meals for Shao Zhenwei and feed him spoonful by spoonful. Listening to him happily telling about the interesting things in the class, Mother Shao feels that running back and forth every day is really nothing. She is willing to be her son's hands and feet and take good care of him as he grows up.
In the 2017 college entrance examination, Shao Zhenwei was admitted to Hangzhou Dianzi University with a high score of 644. However, he was caught in a dilemma: on the one hand, he had a strong desire for knowledge, and on the other hand, he had unpredictable difficulties in the future. "The university is in Xiasha, and my mother said that she would go to college with me, but I have a younger sister at home..." Shao Zhenwei looked up into the distance.
"When he was in high school, his grandparents were afraid that he would be too tired, so they advised him not to go to college. But we saw that he still liked school, liked being with his classmates, and liked studying." Shao's mother said that later the family sat together to discuss, "I want to go to college with my child, and I will help him realize this dream no matter how hard it is."
Taking into account Shao Zhenwei's special situation, the school arranged a separate dormitory for him on the first floor. If he had a heavy workload, his mother would stay in the dormitory with him. If he had few classes, his mother would take Shao Zhenwei home and send him to school the next day. The school also installed a slide rail in the dormitory building that leads all the way to the dormitory door to ensure his college life.
Today, as a doctoral student, Shao Zhenwei actively participates in academic exploration and technological research. "Maybe I can become a teacher, like Hawking, and use advanced technology to teach students. I will demonstrate on the iPad and the students can see it on the iPad at the same time. Maybe I can also start a business, write code, and come up with creative ideas." The optimistic and strong Zhenwei is full of imagination and expectations for the future.
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