Father and Son
The 51-year-old father suffering from dwarfism and living in poverty set out from Zhengning County, Gansu, pushing his son in a stroller to Xi'an, Shaanxi, in order to get medical treatment for his over four-year-old son and help his son with cerebral palsy walk and stand like a normal person. This extraordinary feat—hiking over 300 kilometers over more than 20 days—eventually became a miracle of love. By our reporter Tang Xueren
"Thank you kind-hearted people, my child can now walk normally."
300 Kilometers on Foot: A Journey of Hardship and Love
On November 18, Fang Changwen sounded unusually excited over the phone.
"My child can now walk normally, and speaks more clearly than before." The emotional Fang Changwen also took the opportunity to express his gratitude once again to those who had helped him. "I’m truly thankful to those kind-hearted people who helped me. Without their support, my child would have been bedridden for life."
Over the phone, Fang Changwen said that his life now is completely different compared to two months ago. His four-year-old son Longlong, who has cerebral palsy, can now walk on his own, play around, and even take care of his own toileting needs—no longer requiring Fang to carry him all day. Previously, due to his inability to control his bladder and bowels, the few old baby clothes donated by neighbors were often soaked through, leaving Longlong practically naked after multiple changes throughout the day. As for Fang himself, he had long worn an old Zhongshan suit given to him by villagers; sun-bleached and tattered at the cuffs and collar. Meals were often inconsistent—if there was no flour or rice, the family would go without, relying on handouts from neighbors.
Two months ago, when this reporter met Fang Changwen at Xi'an Children's Hospital, he looked rather tired after more than 20 days of trekking. Next to him were a child’s stroller, a washbasin, a few colorful foam mats, a water bottle, and some clothes—this was all he had when he arrived in Xi'an.
But now, kind-hearted people have not only donated many new clothes for Longlong, but Fang has also changed out of the old, faded clothing he had worn for who knows how long. In addition, the local civil affairs department bought flour and rice for his family, along with a new coal stove, and delivered two tons of coal.
This winter, he will spend it in warmth.
Fang Changwen now has a wish: to use the donation money from kind-hearted people to build two new rooms for his home. That way, even if he becomes too old to move in the future, his son will still have a safe little home. Of course, he has an even bigger dream. When seeking treatment for Longlong in Xi'an, many people told him that children with cerebral palsy like Longlong, through surgery and continuous rehabilitation training, can live just like normal people. So, back home, as he watched his increasingly agile son, Fang began thinking about eventually sending Longlong to a better rehabilitation facility for therapy, and then enrolling him in school.
"No matter how hard things get for me, it doesn’t matter. My hopes are all on my son now. As long as he can live like a normal person, I’ll die with no regrets." The thick Qingyang dialect was distinct, forceful, and powerful. The rugged tone betrayed how this man who had endured so much hardship had shifted from confusion about life to hope for a brighter future.
300 Kilometers on Foot: A Journey of Hardship and Love
Fang Changwen, 51, lives in Yonghe Town, Zhengning County, Gansu. He is not only a farmer but also a person with dwarfism. Two months ago, it was this man, standing just 1.35 meters tall, who demonstrated the greatness of a father’s love with an almost unimaginable determination.
On July 30, Fang Changwen set off with his son in a child’s stroller. Last year, his wife fell ill and passed away, which cost the already poor family what little they had. Their main source of income was a meager 200-plus yuan in subsistence allowance, which was barely enough to get by with nothing left over. Before leaving, neighbors helped him scrape together over 200 yuan for travel expenses.
The distance from Zhengning County, Gansu, to Xi'an is 300 kilometers. To save money, Fang Changwen chose to walk.
When hungry, Fang Changwen would ask for food at roadside farmhouses or small shops. After eating, he would continue on his journey. The July weather was scorching hot, and the road surface burned under the sun. As he walked, sweat often stung his eyes.
After his wife passed away, only the father and son were left at home. All of his hopes in life rested on his son, but the boy’s condition filled him with uncertainty. "Whenever I see other children healthy and full of life, playing joyfully, while my own son understands nothing, the heartache is indescribable." Fang Changwen didn’t know what perseverance was, but he held onto one hope—that his child could be cured.
"Along the way, when I remembered some of the hardships, I would walk and cry." Fang Changwen said that at times he considered giving up. Looking at the big trucks passing by on the road, he thought about suddenly pushing the stroller into their path—so he would never have to face pain and hardship again. "But then I’d look at Longlong sitting in the stroller, turning to look at me from time to time, and I’d give up the idea."
Over the course of more than 20 days, Fang Changwen said his legs would grow sore and the soles of his feet would turn white-hot. At night, he would sleep in farmers’ hay sheds or sometimes on the cement steps outside small shops, waking up to dampness beneath him. One shop owner, seeing the pitiful state of Fang and his son, gave them several foam boards and a large bottle of cola before they left. That cola bottle became Fang’s water bottle for the rest of the trip, and the foam boards served as moisture barriers.
For him, everything now is new.
More than once, Fang Changwen and his son spent nights going hungry.
"When we reached places where no one lived and couldn’t beg for food, we’d just go hungry and sleep in culverts by the roadside." Later, Fang learned from experience to ask for some dry rations to take along after begging for meals.
The 51-year-old Fang Changwen had never traveled far from home and didn’t know the way to Xi'an. Along the way, he kept asking for directions. At forks in the road, he would have to stop and wait for passing vehicles, then wave down drivers to ask for help. When he reached Xunyi County in Shaanxi, a kind driver stopped by the roadside to buy watermelon. After hearing his story, the driver gave him a ride all the way to near Xianyang Airport.
Around August 20, after hiking over 300 kilometers and enduring more than 20 days of travel, Fang Changwen finally pushed his son into Xi'an.
After asking around, Fang Changwen found Xi'an Children's Hospital. But he only had 200-plus yuan on him and couldn’t afford to have his child examined. During the day, he wandered around the hospital, and at night, when it was quieter, he would sneak into the hospital building and sleep in the lobby with other parents who had come from afar to seek treatment for their children. Fang Changwen said he stayed in the hospital lobby mainly because he had nowhere else to go, didn’t know who to ask for help, and wasn’t sure which department could treat his child. In this way, Fang lingered around the hospital for nine days. Watching the constant flow of people in and out of the hospital, his despair reached its peak.
"At that point, I was desperate. If it came to it, I’d just have to turn back." This might have been his one and only chance to travel and seek treatment for his child. Fortunately, where there’s life, there’s hope—and Fang Changwen met someone who changed his fate.
One evening, Shi Hangyu, the director of pediatric neurosurgery on duty, spotted Fang Changwen in a corner of the hospital lobby. After inquiring, he learned about Fang’s story and experiences. The next day, he immediately arranged for an examination. The diagnosis was spastic cerebral palsy, and selective posterior rhizotomy surgery was required. Only through surgery could the child potentially stand and walk, and his language abilities could also improve.
However, even the hospitalization fee of just over 2,000 yuan was difficult for Fang Changwen to afford, let alone the more than 20,000 yuan needed for the surgery. So Shi Hangyu mobilized the department’s medical staff to donate over 2,000 yuan to cover the hospitalization costs. Later, after Fang Changwen’s story was reported by the media, donations from kind-hearted individuals reached over 130,000 yuan.
On September 28, the hospital successfully performed surgery on Longlong.
Over the phone, Fang Changwen said that the child is now recovering very well, and for him, everything now is new.