China mother, 62, carries paralysed son, 34, on back for years, uses walking aid to train him

Deng carries her paralysed son on her back, impressing many people online. Photo: QQ.com

• Son has brain haemorrhage, mother devises strict rehabilitation schedule, ties son's feet to hers, trains him twice a day

A dedicated mother in China who is in her sixties has been carrying her paralysed son, 34, on her back for years, while helping him learn to walk.

Deng Guiying, from southwestern China's Yunnan province, was determined her son, Cai Qinquan, would walk again after he had a brain haemorrhage that left him paralysed in 2019.

Her husband was unable to help care for their son because he became disabled following an accident.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Deng devised a strict schedule to feed and roll over bedridden Cai. She also created walking exercises for him before muscle loss took away his hope of living independently.

The enterprising and persistent mother bought a second-hand walking aid online for her son's 1.82-metre height. So she could match his height, the 1.55-metre-tall woman wore 10cm high heels during the walking exercises.

She squeezed herself into the aid while carrying Cai on her back - making sure his back was straight - and tied their feet together.

The mother and son had two training sessions every day, each lasting 40 minutes.

Online observers on mainland social media were deeply touched by Deng's love.

"A mother's love is great," one person said on Weibo.

"Only your mum would sacrifice so much for you. Do not forget she is not a superwoman, just someone who loves you very much," said another.

Another online observer said the story had motivated him to study harder on his subject, which was lower-limb rehabilitation.

After learning about Cai and Deng, a Chinese company donated an exoskeleton device to the family, which cost about 1.5 million yuan (US$207,000).

The device is designed to improve walking speed and balance in patients recovering from various conditions, including spinal injuries and paralysis.

Heartwarming stories of parents' selfless love for their children consistently make headlines in China.

On May 28, a report about a single mother and her seven-year-old son with autism in eastern China's Shandong province went viral.

To make money to treat him, she sold street snacks with him attached to her by a safety lead.

She said she felt secure when the lead moved because it meant her son was by her side.

More Articles from SCMP

The many faces of China maths genius Liu Zhiyu, 35, monk, husband, businessman, thinker

Hong Kong’s exclusive clubs and the million-dollar memberships they charge

Chinese social media slams swimmer Sun Yang as he misses Paris Olympics – ‘bad character’

Hong Kong’s American Club to hold board meeting on Monday over ultimatum to non-US members

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.