Joy Adalia
Life wasn’t always so difficult for Ou Yanglin and his father, Ou Tongming, of Wangpu village in Guizhou province, China. Thirty-seven-year-old laborer Tongming was paralyzed when he fell from the second story of the building his firm was constructing.
Not only was Tongming now bedridden, the numerous medicines and treatments he needed made a serious dent in the family’s finances. With two kids to feed and a paralyzed husband to take care of, Tongming’s wife caved under the pressure and ran away, taking with her their three-year-old daughter and leaving her seven-yaer-old son to care for his father.
Yanglin was forced to learn the basics of cooking, doing the groceries, cleaning, and also caring for his father while studying and going to school. While kids his age are having fun playing with their friends after school, Yanglin goes straight home to care for his father and to prepare their food.
Feeling that he was becoming a huge burden on his son, Tongming had contemplated on taking his own life yet he was always stopped by the thought that his son would virtually become an orphan. Moreover, Yanglin couldn’t bear the thought of living without his father, saying he would rather have a paralyzed dad than having none at all.
Yanglin vowed to grow up fast, study hard, and become a doctor so he could earn money and also be more qualified to take care of his father and others like him.
For now, Yanglin has to deal with a hectic schedule just so he could keep up in school while still being able to care for his father.
He also gathers scraps and recyclable materials to sell so they can buy food. Thankfully, the government provides the pair with 300 yuan (less than $50) per month as a stipend and their neighbors provide them with food as well.
