Brave little Li is flying high after tragic accident
Print Edition
A 4-year-old Chinese boy, who lost both legs in a car accident, believes that he has wings to fly.
Li Haifeng, who was born in in a village in the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Hubei Province, had to have his legs amputated after the crash two years ago.
But he always wanted to have wings and fly, so the Wuhan branch of China Eastern Airlines made him a “little pilot.”
Li and his parents were invited to Tianhe airport in Wuhan, Hubei’s capital, to have a special tour of an aircraft which is under repair. Under the guidance of pilots, Li sat in the cockpit and “flew” in the sky.
“It was the first time for the boy to see a real plane. He was extremely happy,” said Li Liangbin, an airline official.
He said the airline would provide free tickets for the family to fly home at the end of the boy’s medical treatment in the city.
Li Haifeng’s father, a migrant worker, had to give up his job to take his son to seek medical treatment across the country. The family have already spent 180,000 yuan (US$28,820) on his treatment. But the father said: “Although the family is in debt, I will not give up my son.”
He said Li usually sits in a washbasin and “walks” using his hands at home. “He wears out three washbasins on average each month,” his father said.
Li’s story gained wide online interest after a video showing the boy dancing to popular song “Little Apple” on a hospital bed went viral this week.
His courage and positive attitude touched the heart of many and more than 9,300 people donated 500,000 yuan for hisfurther treatment.
A family from Tianjin sent Li gifts including a MP4 player, two toy planes and some paintbrushes.
“You will recover. When God closes a door, he opens a window for you. Actually, you have a pair of beautiful wings,” they wrote in a letter.
Early last year, a 9-year-old Chinese boy battling a rare muscle disease realized his dream of being a policeman during a kidnap case simulated by police and residents.
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